


And I Found Love (where it wasn't supposed to be)

by whiterabbit



Category: NCIS
Genre: Case Fic, Cats, F/M, Mama Bishop, Older Man/Younger Woman, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-18
Updated: 2016-07-22
Packaged: 2018-05-27 13:03:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 50,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6285799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whiterabbit/pseuds/whiterabbit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Divorce and a special case bring Jethro and Ellie together. Oh, and Ellie has cats.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. This Old House

**Author's Note:**

> I had no intention of letting anyone ever read this fanfic. I started writing it for myself to satisfy a nagging idea but after Huntchaser began publishing That Would Be Enough (which I highly recommend) I decided to publish my Bishop/Gibbs fic too. You should know that normally I don't read kid fics, I avoid them like children in real life, let alone write them but this just wouldn't leave me alone and I need to get it out of my system. Finally, this picks up after Ellie's trip home to Oklahoma (13x10), but disregards all of the following episodes since this was started before that episode. So, for example, Tony and Zoe are still dating.

Stepping off the elevator Gibbs and Tony made their way to the bullpen where Tony's good natured morning ramble about his latest date with Zoe came to a halt when Ellie suddenly let out with an angry curse. 

Her cell phone was pressed to her ear and catching sight of the two men she flushed with irritation before picking up the papers scattered on her desk. Brushing past them she continued to argue with the person on the other end of the conversation as she made a hasty exit. 

"No, no, no, no. Jake can have the apartment, he can have all of the furniture, he can have everything, but he's not getting the cats! Not my cats! Enigma and Patch are mine..." Her voice trailed off as she rounded the corner and disappeared from sight. Turning to McGee, who was trying his best to appear busy, Gibbs and Tony each shot him a questioning look. 

McGee shrugged and said, "the divorce has hit a rough spot. Jake wants their cats." 

"Her cats," Gibbs murmured, sitting down at his desk and turning his computer on. And Gibbs knew they were in fact her cats. The handful of times that he'd visited the Bishop-Malloy home he'd witnessed the cats utter adoration of Bishop and their complete indifference to Jake. He also knew that Jake didn't have very strong feelings for either of the animals, one way or the other, whereas Bishop wouldn't even so much as touch another cat, worried that it might upset her own. So it surprised him that Jake was asking for the cats. 

"Right," McGee amended. "Well I guess he's trying to argue that because of her job Ellie can't properly take care of them." 

The inflection in McGee's voice when he said "because of her job" didn't escape Gibbs or Tony, and only served to further confirm for Gibbs that Ellie's job played a big part in their divorce. 

Ellie had been very tight-lipped and very professional about her divorce. Until today the only other time that it had entered the bullpen was when Jake's lawyer's office had delivered the papers. But even then Ellie had escaped to autopsy, where she sought comfort from Ducky, in private. 

What they knew about her divorce came through McGee who had heard it from Delilah, but McGee hadn't told them everything. He hadn't told them that Delilah had come home from visiting Ellie at her shady hotel room shaking with anger. He hadn't told them that part of the reason why Jake and Ellie's marriage had collapsed was because Ellie had expressed her desire to start a family. 

According to Delilah, Jake had told Ellie that he didn't think it was such a good idea given how dangerous her line of work is. When Ellie informed him that she thought they might adopt, something Ellie had started to plan for, Jake once again shot her down citing her work. He told her he would only consider it when Ellie left NCIS, explaining that he couldn't imagine raising a child alone should anything happen to her. He didn't tell them that Jake was essentially punishing Ellie for her job at NCIS by withholding parenthood from her.

McGee could only imagine that they would feel the way he does when he thinks about it, blindingly angry. If Tony and Ziva had ever given in to their obvious feelings for one another, McGee knew that Tony wouldn't think twice about having a child with her. And yeah, the boss might have kept Ellie from the more dangerous aspects of their job, but McGee knew that he wouldn't have seen having a child, especially adopting one, as a career ender for Bishop. 

For the life of him, McGee couldn't understand why Jake couldn't accept that Ellie could be a federal agent and a parent too and could only chalk up the other man's attitude to fears of his affair being discovered. 

McGee was saved from any further explanation when Bishop returned. Papers in one hand, her cell in the other she stood akimbo in front of them and asked, "Abby doesn't just like dogs right, she likes cats too?" 

"Yes," Tony answered before anyone else could. "She loves all animals, big and small. Why?" 

"I told my lawyer that if I did need to go out of town for a case that I have someone who can take very good care of them," she explained, moving to her desk. Sitting down she crammed the papers and her personal cell into the top drawer of the desk, slamming it shut. Wincing at the loud noise she apologized. 

"Rule six, Bishop," Gibbs said, not looking up from his screen. 

"Right," Ellie replied, stopping herself from apologizing for apologizing. Reaching for the Cheetos bag sitting on her desk she looked down at the orange colored snack in her fingertips sadly. Enigma loves Cheetos. "He's not getting my cats," she murmured quietly to herself. 

"He won't Bishop," Gibbs said, causing her to snap her head up in surprise. Seeing the sincerity in his blue eyes almost brought Ellie to tears and she would have started crying if Tony had interjected. 

"And if he does, we'll catnap them," he said with a grin. "Pull it off like the heist in Ocean's Eleven." 

Ellie laughed lightly as McGee replied, "somehow I don't think he's going to keep the cats in a vault Tony." 

Tony shrugged and the two started to plan out an imaginary catnapping when Gibbs's phone started to ring. Ellie could tell from the moment he answered that they had a case and popping the Cheeto into her mouth she brushed her hands off and reached for her gear. 

A case was exactly what she needed right now.

* * *

"Victims are Navy Lieutenant Commander Robin Shaw and her husband, Daniel Kedzierski. They were found by a member of Mr. Kedzierski's carpool at around four-thirty this morning," McGee said, reading from the initial report as the team walked up the path leading to the front door. 

Looking up at the large old house Ellie couldn't help but think about the summer she and Jake had gone house hunting. They had looked at a couple of houses like this one, built in the 19th century with a large yard. While Ellie had fallen in love, Jake kept reminding her that old houses like this needed a lot of care, which with their jobs they couldn't do. She knew he was right, but it didn't stopped her from dreaming. 

Halfway up the walk they were met by a member of the local police department who introduced himself and shook hands with each of them solemnly before indicating that they should follow him. 

"You should know, we're treating this as a double murder and a kidnapping," the cop informed them, leading them up the stairs of the house. 

"Kidnapping?" Gibbs asked, his voice rough. 

"Yeah, the victims had custody of the Lieutenant Commander's five year old niece, Allison," the cop explained. "My guys did a sweep of the house and they couldn't find any trace of her. We believe that the little girl's father, Gregory Collins took the girl after murdering the victims," he elaborated. 

Reaching the front door Ellie and the rest of the team looked past the officer and spotted Ducky and Jimmy next to the prone body of Mr. Kedzierski on the floor of the foyer. It looked like he'd been attacked from behind, judging by his face down position. Pulling out her camera Ellie began taking pictures as the rest of the team went to work collecting any evidence they could. 

"What have we got Duck?" Gibbs asked. 

"It appears as though Mr. Kedzierski died as a result of blunt force trauma to the back of his head," Ducky replied. Pointing to the matted blood in the victims hair he said, "There’s a puncture wound that would suggest that whatever object our assailant used may have had a sharp object attached to it." 

"Very medieval," Jimmy inserted jokingly but catching the look on Gibbs's face he very quickly shut up. 

Shaking his head at his assistant, Ducky returned his attention to the victim and emitted a very British sigh of disdain. "To attack a man from behind is one of the most cowardly acts a man can commit." 

"Couldn't agree more Duck," Gibbs replied. 

Turning to Ellie, he told her to head upstairs and take pictures of the little girl's room. If Allison had been kidnapped they needed pictures of the scene before it was disturbed. Nodding, Ellie made her way up to the second floor. 

Pausing at the top of the stairs, her gaze traveled to the master bedroom located to her right. Light filled the room and she could just make out the Lieutenant Commander's pale hand, stretched out, reaching for the door. Shivering, Ellie turned away and focused on finding the little girl's bedroom. All of the doors were open and methodically she looked into each room, taking mental notes along the way until she reached the room at the end of the hall. Standing in the doorway she immediately understood why, despite being so far from the master suite, they would have given Allison this room. 

The room, which was painted a light lilac color, held two very large, tall and deeply set windows, that let in an immense amount of sunlight. The depth of each window allowed for two window seats and each housed an impressive stuffed animal collection. It was seeing those animals that reminded Ellie of the darker, uglier nature of her work and leaning against the door frame she sighed in resignation. 

Clutching her camera she stepped into the room and started snapping pictures, her anger building with each photo she took. When they found this guy, and they would find him, she was going to make sure that he paid. 

Taking a photo of the messy bed Ellie froze when she heard a soft scratch come from the wall. Silence enveloped the room and dismissing it as a figment of her imagination she returned to her work until she heard it again. Only this time it was more than just a scratch, it sounded like something was moving inside the wall. Listening intently she followed the noise to its source near the window seat. Padding softly across the room she carefully examined the seat and the surrounding walls. 

It was at that moment that she remembered something the real estate agent had said when she and Jake were looking at an old Civil War era home. The real estate agent had mentioned that a few homes that were built before and during the war had secret hiding spots. Some were very small, only big enough to hide money or other important goods in but others were larger. 

So large they could hide a person. 

Allison. 

Pushing aside the stuffed animals and the curtains Ellie discovered a panel of wainscoting and peering closely at it she noticed that the paint didn't quite match up. Lightly running her hand across the surface she was surprised when the panel suddenly popped open. Pushing it forward she watched as the late morning light revealed the interior of the hidden cubby. 

Gasping, her jaw dropped when she spotted the little girl curled up against the back of the cubby, a stuffed unicorn held tightly in her skinny arms. Her brown eyes were almost comically wide and she was shaking with fear. Not wanting to upset the child, Ellie backed away from the opening and gave her a small smile. 

“Hi,” she said, pulling out her badge from her pocket. Holding it up for the little girl to see she said, “my name is Eleanor Bishop, I’m with NCIS, that’s the Navy Criminal Investigative Service. I’m kind of like a police officer,” she explained. 

Allison remained quiet but as soon as she heard the word Navy her shaking had stopped. Taking that as encouragement Ellie continued to talk to the little girl. 

“But you can call me Ellie if you want. Your name is Allison isn't it?" The child gave a small hesitant nod but tightened her grip on the unicorn. "Does your unicorn have a name?" Ellie asked, hoping that the child would give her a verbal response and tell her but she didn't, she only nodded once again. Not wanting to push the child into anything she wasn't ready for Ellie resorted to asking only 'yes' and 'no' questions. 

"I bet it's your favorite toy, isn't it?" A nod. 

"Have you had it for a long time?" This time Allison shook her head no. 

"Did your aunt give it to you?" Another no. 

"Your uncle?" A nod. 

With each question Allison continued to relax a little more and each of her nods or shakes of her head came a little quicker. Finally Ellie knew she had to start asking the important questions, the hard questions. 

"Allison, are you hurt anywhere?" She started to shake her head no before changing her answer and nodded. Concerned Ellie did a quick visual scan but couldn't see any clear injuries and asked her where she was hurt. Ellie closed her eyes in pain when Allison lifted the stuffed unicorn from her chest and pointed to her heart as tears filled her eyes.

Opening her eyes again Ellie asked her very softly, “You know what happened to your aunt and uncle, don’t you?” 

Her heart broke as the little girl nodded once again, tears falling to her cheeks. Sighing, Ellie moved closer, pulling off her NCIS cap as she did. Briefly she thought about going and getting Gibbs, he was a natural with kids, but she didn’t want to leave Allison alone for even a second. Looking down at her cap she got an idea. 

“Your aunt, she was very brave wasn’t she?” Ellie prompted and Allison nodded her head once again in response. “You’re brave too, like her. Aren’t you?” This time Allison’s response wasn’t as sure and tears sprang to Ellie’s own eyes. Rapidly blinking them away she nodded her own head and said, “I know you are and I am too, which is why I wear this cap.” Holding up her hat she let her see the embroidered white letters before holding it out to her. “Only brave people, good people, wear these hats. You can wear mine until we can get you your own. If you want,” Ellie amended. 

She waited and watched as the little girl moved forward until she could grasp the hat Ellie was holding out to her. Once she did she turned it over in her small hand and looked at it for a long time. Looking up at Ellie uncertainly she waited until the agent nodded encouragingly before putting the cap on her own blonde head. It was ridiculously large on her but with the cap on Allison suddenly surged forward, throwing herself into Ellie’s arms. 

Holding the sobbing child as close to her as possible Ellie whispered words of comfort into her ear until gradually the tears began to subside. But the five year old’s grip never once wavered, yet neither did Ellie’s hold on her. Moving her into a more comfortable position, Ellie bent down and whispered into her ear, “I’m not going to let anything happen to you, if I can help it, nothing will ever hurt you, ever again.” 

Allison’s response was to tighten her grip on Ellie, which the latter didn’t think was possible. They stayed that way until Ellie heard voices start to make their way up the stairs. Gibbs, Ducky, and Tony. Feeling Allison stiffen in her arms Ellie quickly worked to reassure her. 

“It’s okay, they’re my friends. They’re here to help, I promise,” Ellie told her. Allison looked up at her intently, seemingly gauging whether or not she could trust Ellie. Stroking the child’s blonde head she tried to assure her saying, “You can trust me.” 

Remaining silent the child allowed Ellie to carry her out of the room and just as they were exiting the door Ducky, who was the last to come up the stairs, spotted them. 

“Oh my,” he sighed, taking in the sight and alerting Gibbs and Tony, who turned around. 

“Is that,” Tony started to ask before trailing off. 

Ellie nodded and turning to Allison she introduced them, one by one pointing to each as she said his name. “That is Donald Mallard, he’s a doctor and he has an accent. We call him Ducky.” 

“Hello my dear,” Ducky replied, putting a strong emphasis on his British accent. 

“That’s Tony, he’s really funny,” a remark Tony punctuated with a goofy look and an hello in a cartoonish voice. “And that is Agent Gibbs and he’ll make you feel very safe.” Gibbs inclined his head toward them but didn’t say anything. “And they’re all wearing that same hat,” Ellie said, giving the cap the Allison was wearing a small, soft tap. “This means they’re brave, just like you. You can trust them too,” Ellie promised. 

Allison’s only response was to loosen her grip on Ellie, but only very slightly, when she turned away from the three men. 

Looking to Ducky and Tony, Gibbs indicated that they should go into the bedroom and get started. Ensuring that the door was closed, Gibbs turned back to Bishop and watched as she made her way toward him. Stopping her at the top of the stairs he asked her quietly, “has she said anything.” 

Shaking her head no, the two shared a look. They were both thinking the same thing, that it wasn't a good sign that Allison wasn't talking and they had to get her to talk. She was their only witness. 

"Hey boss-" McGee, like Tony, stopped short when he saw the little girl in Bishop's arms. 

Turning his attention to the man standing at the bottom of the stairs Gibbs asked, “What is it McGee?” 

Shaking himself from his stupor, McGee replied, “Metro police found, well they found a car.” 

The response was vague but both Gibbs and Bishop knew whose car he was referring to. Nodding Gibbs said, “alright, you two take her back to NCIS and call Child Protective Services. I’ll check out our car.” 

Once his orders were given Bishop and McGee moved into action. Ellie could only hope that now that they had found Gregory Collins’ car they could put a quick end to this case and that Allison would be spared from any more trauma.


	2. Allie Cats

"What have we got?" Gibbs asked, striding into the bullpen, coffee in hand. Mentally noting Bishop's empty desk and the red ladybug suitcase sitting next to it he turned his attention to Tony and McGee who were ready to give him an update. Facing the plasma he waited until pictures of their two murder victims popped up on the screen. 

"Victims are 38 year old Lieutenant Commander Robin Shaw, who was due to retire from the Navy to become a stay at home mom to her niece, and her husband 45 year old Daniel Kedzierski, who was the CTO or chief technology officer at AirX, which specializes in aviation and transportation technology," McGee explained. "They were the legal guardians to Shaw's five year old niece Allison Shaw. Allison came to live with them two years ago after her mother, Lark Shaw, also a navy officer, was killed in the line of duty. According to CPS records, the pair were petitioning to officially adopt Allison." 

Tony stepped in, switching to a mugshot of a dark haired man. "This is Gregory Collins, Allison's father. Former Army, he was dishonorably discharged four years ago, citing drug and alcohol abuse. He was also arrested on domestic violence charges shortly after Allison was born. They were never married and following that arrest he and Lark Shaw separated and Allison's mother was granted full custody. Collins fought for visitation but since he's never been able to clean up his act and the number of times he's been arrested since, visitation was never granted." 

"Did you find him?" McGee asked. 

Gibbs shook his head. "Only the car, it's down in the garage now, Abby's taking a look at it," he replied. "Where's Bishop?" 

"In the conference room with Allison and the CPS worker," Tony replied, only to amend his statement as soon as he saw his partner and the other woman approach from the stairs.

"Anne Larsen," said the young, petite black woman, holding out her hand and introducing herself to Gibbs. A petite woman, Larsen was wearing a bright red dress with a black and white striped cardigan, she had a short pixie cut that framed her face. With a grim expression she asked them for an update and once she'd heard everything they had at that moment she asked the question that had been on her mind since meeting with Agent Bishop and the child. "How much danger is Allison in?" 

"While we have no reason to suspect that her father would've hurt her before the murders of her aunt and uncle, now it's a different story," McGee explained. "Depending on his state of mind he may hurt her and himself." 

"Murder-suicide," Larsen said, filling in the blanks and McGee nodded. "We'll have to put her under protective custody." 

"Definitely," Ellie said, agreeing wholeheartedly. She had made a promise and she had every intention of keeping it.

"I think..." Larsen was interrupted as Ducky, who had remained with Allison in the conference room appeared hand in hand with the little girl. Once she saw Bishop she pulled free from Ducky's gentle grasp and made a beeline for the older blonde woman, wrapping her arms tightly around her legs. The NCIS hat Ellie had given her going askew on her head and her stuffed unicorn dangling from her small hand. 

"Everything okay Duck?" Gibbs asked as he watched Bishop kneel down to Allison's level. 

"Yes, she simply became frightened the longer Eleanor was gone," Ducky explained. While Allison had been comfortable with him in the beginning he could tell that the longer she was away from Eleanor the higher her anxiety rose. 

A contemplative look stole over the social worker's face and she too knelt down next to Agent Bishop and Allison. Lightly resting her hand on the girl's fragile shoulder, just enough to get her attention, she cocked her head to the side, smiled, and asked the little girl if she felt safe around Ellie. Allison nodded vigorously. "Would you like to stay with Agent Bishop?" Again a nod. 

Surprised, Ellie turned to the social worker and said, "is that allowed?" 

"Not typically," she replied, gauging the child's reactions to her words. "But under the circumstances I think an exception can be made." Larsen stood, as did Ellie who urged Allison to go sit at her desk. Lowering her voice Larsen continued, "Allison isn't talking, I don't think she feels safe enough to talk yet, but once she does we'll be able to get through to her. We'll be able to help her. So making Allison feel safe should be our first priority and she feels safe with you, I think she trusts you." 

Sighing Ellie glanced over at Allison. "I want to do everything that I can for her, but I have to be honest with you I'm currently going through a divorce and living a motel room with my two cats. That's no place to bring a child. It's not safe enough," she admitted reluctantly. 

"They can stay at my house," Gibbs offered before anyone else had the chance. 

"Are you sure?" Ellie asked, looking at him a little skeptically. "It won't just be me and Allison, I would also have to bring my cats, too." 

"I don't mind your cats Bishop, besides two NCIS agents looking after her are better than one," he replied, ignoring Ducky's intense stare. 

"So we're in agreement then? Allison stays with you until your case is settled," Larsen said. Everyone nodded and she glanced back once more at Allison, "okay, I need to make a couple calls and I'll need you to fill out some paperwork. Does Allison have everything she needs, clothes, toys?" 

"Yeah," Tony said pointing to the red suitcase. "One of the cops at the scene has a little girl, he knew what to pack." 

"Good. Agent Bishop, if you'd like to go to your hotel room I can send the paperwork along with Agent Gibbs," Larsen suggested. 

Ellie gave a short nod. Going to her desk she picked up her bag and asked Allison if she liked cats and for the first time that day the child's eyes lit up with life. 

"Tony." Gibbs said nodding toward the two indicating that he should go with them. 

"Yes boss," Tony replied, following behind the pair of blondes with the little red suitcase.

* * *

"I still can't believe you can cook." Tony's voice along with the sound of the door opening, bags rustling, wheels rolling over the wood floor, and a cat yowling all announced that Gibbs's house guests had arrived. 

"What so hard to believe?" Bishop asked, coming into view. 

She was the one carrying several grocery bags on her arms while Tony was loaded down with suitcases and a cat carrier, but only one cat, Patch, was inside. Allison was carrying the fluffy white cat with a flattened face, Enigma, in her arms. The three made for quite the parade. 

"Hey boss," Tony said once he caught sight of Gibbs sitting on the couch. The older man nodded at him and focused his attention on Allison who was freeing Patch from the carrier. Once the cat jumped out he made a dash for the couch and Gibbs's lap and Allison followed very quickly, taking a seat next to him and allowing the cat under her arm to go free. 

"Tony, you can't eat as much as I do without knowing how to cook. It get's expensive if you don't," she explained. "I learned that the hard way in college. I still don't know how my parents fed all of us," she said, a hint of awe in her voice. 

"Your brothers eat as much as you?" Gibbs asked, glancing at her. 

"More." She admitted. 

"Woah!" Tony said, trying to imagine that. Shaking his head he pointed out that she admitted to him that she almost burned her house down when she made craw-chiladas. 

"Hey, I can read a recipe, I never said I was a five star chef!" Making her way to the kitchen she called out to Gibbs. "Tony said you wouldn't have anything in the house so we stopped for a few things." 

Gibbs glared at his senior agent but Tony was focused on the orange cat, suddenly a look of realization appeared on his face. 

"Now I get it, why she calls him Patch," Tony exclaimed. "It's the patch of white on his butt!" Tony looked at Gibbs and Allison, expecting them to be surprised by his discovery, instead they shared a similar look of confusion. "But you already figured that out, didn't you." 

They nodded simultaneously. 

Luckily Tony was saved from any further embarrassment when Ellie returned. "Are you staying for dinner?" She asked. "We're having pulled pork mac and cheese." 

Tony checked his watch and shook his head. "No, Zoe's parents are in town for the night, we're supposed to meet them for drinks in about an hour. I actually better leave now if I'm going to make it in time." Heading toward the door he said goodbye to Gibbs, Ellie and Allison. "See you around Allie cat." 

Allison gave him a small wave. Once he was gone Ellie turned to Gibbs and said, "Tony figured out that Allison likes to be called Allie, don't you." 

The little girl nodded. 

"Allie it is," Gibbs said, looking down at the little girl next to him. Turning his attention back to Bishop he inclined his head toward the dining room table. "Those are the papers Larsen needs you to sign." 

"Right." He watched as she bent over the table and signed the papers, filling in the blank spaces requiring her information. Once that was done she went into the kitchen where he could hear her going through the cupboards, pulling out pots and pans. 

Allie watched as Bishop left and getting up from the couch she made her way through the dining room and opened up the other door allowing her to see Bishop working in the kitchen as much as possible. Once she was satisfied, Allie returned to her seat next to Gibbs but this time she sat as close to him as possible without actually touching him. Watching Bishop she picked up the stuffed unicorn and held it tightly, a worried look on her face. 

Concerned Gibbs reached down to the stack of newspapers on the floor next to him and rifled through it until he found what he was looking for. "Do you like the comics?" He asked and once she nodded he unfolded the page and together they started reading. Once she was sufficiently distracted Gibbs watched her, she mouthed the words written and pointed to ones she didn't know or understand, but not once did she speak, smile or laugh. Then, as if sensing his gaze she lifted her head and stared at him expectantly. Settling his hand on her head he smoothed it down the back of her hair until it came to rest on her shoulders. 

Pulling her in for a light side hug he said, "you're going to be okay."

* * *

A high pitched, shrill scream woke Gibbs up from a deep sleep. Suddenly awake he was reaching for his gun and bounding up the stairs to the room Bishop and Allie were sleeping in. Bursting through the door he caught sight of Bishop consoling Allie who was sobbing uncontrollably in her arms. 

"It's okay," she repeated again and again, rocking the girl back and forth in her arms. "You're okay, no one is going to hurt you here. You're safe, I've got you." 

Gibbs listened to her repeat the mantra over and over again until finally Allie's sobs subsided into whimpers and eventually to little hiccupping noises. Only when Allie was completely calm and when Bishop gave him the signal that she had everything under control did Gibbs leave, pulling the door closed behind him. Leaning against the wall next to the door he heard Bishop continue to talk to Allie in low soothing murmurs. The light in the room stayed on but soon it became quiet and Gibbs returned to the couch. 

Over and over again throughout the night he and Bishop repeated the same scene, him coming through the door with gun raised, her consoling the terrified child. Not once did he ignore Allie's screams, each time it happened he raced up the stairs prepared for anything. But he didn't mourn the loss of sleep or regret racing up the stairs no matter how much his knees protested the next morning. 

And they did protest. 

Rubbing a hand wearly over his face Gibbs took in Bishop and Allie sitting at the dining room table through bleary eyes. Bishop, wearing an old t-shirt and sweats sat with her back to the kitchen and a mug of coffee between her hands. Allie was sitting to her right in a pair of pink pajamas with bright flowers printed on them, furiously coloring in a book. Both were pale and drawn under the ceiling light. Glancing out the window he realized it was still dark out. 

Seeing Allie's red rimmed eyes he stood up, groaning slightly at the action and shuffled into the dining room where he ruffled Allie's hair lightly. "Bad night, huh." She nodded regretfully, dropping her head. "Hey, it's alright. Tonight will be better." And then he repeated the words he said to her the evening before, "you're going to be okay." 

Ellie watched him pass by the table and into the kitchen, getting up from her seat she followed him and waited until he'd poured a cup of coffee before asking if they'd woken him. He shook his head and Ellie breathed a sigh of relief. They were already invading his home, she didn't want to put him out anymore than they already had. 

Coffee in hand Gibbs leaned back against the counter and critically assessed Bishop. "You get any sleep last night?" He asked. 

"About as much as you," she replied, but Gibbs was doubtful. With dark circles under her eyes and the strained looked on her face Bishop didn't look like she'd slept a wink. He imagined she probably spent most of her night trying to soothe Allie before a nightmare got too bad and she woke up screaming. Sensing his skepticism Bishop shrugged her shoulders and said, "I'm fine. Really." 

"Well, try and get a nap in today," Gibbs said bringing the mug to his lips and taking a tentative sip. 

"What?" Ellie replied, looking at him questioningly. 

"You're going to be staying here with her today. Can't bring her into the office and I wouldn't suggest leaving her at the NCIS daycare either," Gibbs said, leaving no room for argument. 

Once her sleep deprived brain caught up she realized that he was right. Allie wasn't in any shape mentally to be with other children or in a daycare right now, and they couldn't take the risk that the little girl's father might show up, so Gibbs's house was the best place for her. 

"Doesn't mean I can't do some work from here," Ellie told him. 

He was about to tell her good luck trying to get any work done around a five year old child just as said child made an appearance, followed by Patches, who sauntered into the room, and Enigma. The white cat stumbled and stomped into the room looking grumpier than usual, right up until he noticed Ellie. The two cats wound themselves around Ellie's legs, purring and looking up at her letting her know that they were hungry and wanted her undivided attention. Meanwhile, Allie made her way quietly over to Gibbs and leaned up against him tiredly. 

Setting his mug down on the counter Gibbs bent down and picked the little girl up. Nodding at Bishop, he silently let his agent know that he would take care of Allie if she wanted to see to her cats, and as she went for a can of cat food he turned his attention to Allie. 

"Are you hungry, or do you want to go back to sleep," he asked her, nodding toward the couch. 

Allie looked at him, then back at the couch before finally pointing to a box of cereal Ellie had bought the previous day. "Hungry then." Allie nodded in response. Settling her back on her own two legs Gibbs opened one of the cabinet doors and pulling out a bowl he told her to go sit at the table. Fixing the little girl breakfast he could feel Bishop's intense stare as she watched him move around the kitchen and all of his interactions with Allie. 

Returning to the kitchen he gazed at her expectantly. "What?" 

"Just watching. Learning," she replied, biting her lower lip. "I love kids, but I don't have much experience around them," she admitted. "You're a natural." 

"I've had experience," Gibbs replied gruffly, his mind flashing to an image of Kelly at Allie's age. 

Bishop flinched at the reminder and was about to apologize but held back, quickly realizing that that was a bad idea. Instead she wracked her brain trying to come up with something to say, some way to express her worries and doubts about spending the entire day with Allie. Alone, without any help. 

But Gibbs, seemingly reading her mind, put her fears to rest. "You'll be fine, you're just tired that's all." 

"I hope you're right," Bishop replied before adding, jokingly, "cause it would look really bad if something were to happen to her under protective custody."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter three will be posted next Friday, April 1, 2016 @ 5 p.m. EST.


	3. Hello, It's Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I keep forgetting to mention this, but the title of this fic is borrowed from the lyrics to the song "I Found" by Amber Run.

Gregory Collins' apartment was empty, but it didn't appear that it had been that way for long. 

Casting his gaze around the combination living, dining, and kitchen area Gibbs noted that beneath the trash strewn about and the many alcohol bottles the room was sparsely furnished. A couch and chair, a lamp and coffee table, a TV and a kitchen table with two chairs, all mismatched. The kitchen was barren of any real food and a bowl of half eaten cereal sat on the counter next to a bottle of vodka. 

Minus the mess and the amount of alcohol it all felt too familiar to Gibbs. 

It was the home of a man who's lost everything and it's what his life could have looked like if he'd been a different man. 

Shaking his head of the thought Gibbs focused on the task in front of him. Collins' car hadn't yielded any evidence, only a half-full bottle of Jack Daniels under the passenger's seat, old fast food containers, a heavy duty jacket and a tool belt. No murder weapon and no blood. He and Tony were going through Collins' apartment in hopes they might find something that would connect him to the murders of Shaw and Kedzierski. As of that moment they were basing their case of pure speculation. 

If Collins were innocent he would have turned himself in by this point. But that was assuming he was smart and not all of them are. No, most of the time even the innocent ones were idiots. They always assumed that they alone could prove their innocence and that the police would put them in prison, no questions asked. 

"Hey boss, you might want to come check this out," Tony called from the other room, drawing Gibbs out of his thoughts. 

Making his way to the bedroom Gibbs paused next to his agent who was holding up a medium sized box. 

"Looks like Collins sent his daughter a package, but the Lieutenant Commander returned it along with this note," Tony informed him, handing over a piece of paper. 

Taking the paper Gibbs read over the note. It was short and to the point and Gibbs could tell that Robin Shaw had gone to great lengths to be as polite as possible. In the letter she asked Collins not to send anymore gifts or to try and contact Allison for the time being, explaining that it was just too confusing for her. But she also encouraged him to stay in contact with her and her husband and said that one day they could all get together and explain to Allison just why Collins hadn't been in her life. The note ended on an encouraging tone, wishing Collins the best of luck. 

While Gibbs may have read the note as it was meant to be read, someone like Collins may have taken offense and interpreted the tone as being patronizing. The date on the package indicated that Collins would have received it two days before the murders took place and if Gibbs was right about Collins' state of mind it could provide a motive.

"Bag it," Gibbs replied, handing the note back to Tony. 

Gibbs was about to ask his senior agent if he'd found anything else, specifically anymore returned packages, when they both heard a shuffling noise from the other room. Nodding his head Gibbs reached for his gun at the same time as Tony. Moving as silently as they could back into the other room they spotted a man with a baseball cap drawn down low over his eyes going through a stack of mail next to the door. 

"Don't move!" Tony shouted at the man who suddenly bolted out the door. "They never listen." 

"Do you really expect them to?" Gibbs shot back as he followed the man out the door. 

Chasing the man down the hall and then down a narrow flight of stairs, pushing past tenets and one delivery woman, they fell further and further behind him. Reaching the ground floor they spotted the back door closing and indicating that Tony should go out the front Gibbs followed their runner out the back. Bursting out into the sunlight Gibbs caught sight of him rounding the corner of the building and making a break for the front where Tony would be. 

Unfortunately his senior agent was not prepared for the man who shoved him out of the way and into the side of the building. But Tony quickly recovered and caught up with Gibbs just as their runner disappeared into the shell of an abandoned storefront. Following after him the pair heard a door slam in the back. Moving quickly but silently they entered the backroom and noticed two doors, one that lead out to the back but was nailed shut with 2x4 boards and another that they soon discovered lead down into a basement. 

Looking at Gibbs Tony was dismayed to see his boss indicate that he should lead the way. 

Taking the narrow steps carefully Tony held his gun aloft as Gibbs followed behind him, his gun pointed down. Light filtered in through a series of small windows, just enough so they didn't need to use their flashlights and provided them with a dim but clear view of the room. 

It was empty. 

"Where the hell did he go?" Tony asked just as soon as they had finished their sweep of the basement. 

Looking around the empty room Gibbs wondered the same thing. Knowing that they had lost their runner Gibbs headed back for the stairs, followed by Tony, and no sooner had he reached the top when his phone began to ring. 

"Hey boss," Tim said after Gibbs gave his curt greeting. "We've got a problem." 

"What is it now?" Gibbs asked, carefully examining the backroom. 

"Someone has broken into the victim's house."

* * *

Ellie looked up when she realized that the room had gone silent. Her fingers stilled over the laptop keyboard as she watched Allie tap lightly on the iPad in front of her. 

The two blondes were mirror images. They were both resting against the arms of the couch, pillows behind their backs and a shared blanket resting over their legs. Allie's shorter legs were stretched out and touching Ellie's, which were bent at the knees, propping up her computer. Sunlight streamed in through the window behind the couch, brightening the room which was in disarray. There were dolls, books, papers, and cat toys scattered on the coffee table and floor around them and only one cat, Patches, who was lying across the back of the couch. 

Enigma was in hiding. 

Up until a moment ago Allie had been playing a game on the iPad, one of many Ellie had downloaded for the little girl after downloading a few child safety apps to protect her data. The sounds of the game had filled the quiet of the room and Ellie noticed immediately when the game had stopped. She waited silently to see what Allie would do next and almost groaned out loud when the familiar sounds of the movie Frozen started playing. 

It was the third time that day that Allie had watched the movie and the first two times she watched it Ellie learned she loved to replay "Do You Want to Build A Snowman" and "Let it Go" over and over again. One person could only take so much and Ellie was about to suggest that they spend some time outside in the backyard, or maybe even take a walk, when her phone began to buzz. 

Closing the lid on her laptop and setting it aside she stood up and picking up her phone she made her way to the kitchen. Allie glanced up at her anxiously but relaxed when Ellie gave her a reassuring smile and answered her phone. 

"Bishop." 

"Hello Agent Bishop, this is Anne Larsen." 

Recognizing the CPS workers voice she greeted her warmly. "Hi Ms. Larsen, how are you?" 

"I'm fine, thank you for asking," she replied. "I left a message at NCIS but I wanted to speak with you personally." 

"About what?" Bishop asked, noting the concerned tone of the other woman's voice. 

"We received a call this morning from an unidentified woman, she was inquiring about Allison. She asked whether or not she was okay, and if she was safe. According to the staff member who took the call the woman referred to Allison by the diminutive 'Allie.' The staff member told her that she couldn't divulge any information and asked for her contact details but the woman hung up," Anne explained. 

"Do we have any idea who she was?" Ellie asked. 

"I believe it may have been Allison's aunt, Collins' sister Rachel Porter. I was going to attempt to contact her today and fill her in on the situation, but, to be honest, I'm a little hesitant to do so now. I wanted to ask you what you think I should do." 

Debating for a moment Ellie bit her lip and turned back to Allie who was still engrossed in her movie. She thought about telling Ms. Larsen that she would call her back and then get in contact with Gibbs about the matter, but quickly realized that he would tell her what she already knew. 

"I want you to hold off on contacting her, at least until we can determine that it was really her," Bishop said. "And if it was her, why she refused to identify herself. It seems a little strange that she wasn't very forthcoming. Almost like she has something to hide." 

"Are you concerned Collins may be using his sister to get at Allison?" Larsen asked. 

"It crossed my mind," Bishop admitted. "We can't take the chance that getting in contact with her will put Allison in danger." 

"Okay, I'll hold off until you give me the go ahead" Anne replied before switching gears. "I was also calling to find out how Allison is doing today." 

Sighing Ellie informed the other woman that Allie still was not talking and filled her in on the previous night. "I've been doing what I can today, mostly keeping her distracted with books, games, and-" 

"And Frozen," Anne added with a light laugh. 

"Yes! How did you know?" 

"Trust me Agent Bishop, I have a finely turned ear for that movie," she told her. "And you will too." Ellie couldn't hold back a groan which elicited another light laugh on the other end of the line before Ms Larsen continued. "I had my hopes, but I wasn't expecting a miracle to occur overnight. Allison is still very afraid and we just need to be patient with her."

Ellie murmured her agreement. The agent wasn't going to push the little girl, but she still had to try and reach her somehow and she asked the social worker for advice. 

"I would suggest you keep doing what you're doing," she replied before going on to explain that Ellie was creating a sense of, or rather restoring an atmosphere of normalcy. Playing with toys, reading books, watching movies, these were all activities that Allie was more than likely used to doing with her aunt and uncle. It let her know that it was still safe for her to do these things. "That being said, I would like Allison to meet with someone." 

"Okay," Ellie replied, hesitantly, waiting for the other woman to explain. 

"Her name is Dr. Katherine Bryson, she's a child psychologist and she specializes in children who have gone through significant trauma, specifically refuge children from war torn areas of the world," Anne explained. "She has offices and she teaches at George Washington University Hospital. I hope you don't mind but I took the liberty of contacting her and making an appointment for Allison for tomorrow morning, ten o'clock. If that doesn't work for you just give them a call and they will be more than happy to reschedule."

"No. No, that's fine. We'll be there," Ellie told her. "Do you really think she'll be able to help?" 

"Yes, I do. I've worked with her before and I know she's done some amazing things in the 40 plus years she's been practicing," Anne assured her. 

The two women spoke for a few more minutes before hanging up. Returning to the couch Ellie sat down and reopened her laptop. Typing the doctor's name into the search bar Ellie briefly glanced over at Allie, watching the little girl whose attention was focused on the movie, before settling into her research. While she found that she trusted Anne Larsen's opinion, she still wanted to know about the doctor Allie would be seeing tomorrow. 

Knowledge was power as her granddad always used to tell her. 

Once again it was silence that drew Ellie out of her research induced trance and once again she looked up, only this time Allie had set the iPad aside and was instead petting her stuffed unicorn an anxious look on her face. 

Realizing that Allie needed a new distraction, Ellie looked at the clock and realized that it was the perfect time to go for a walk. Telling Allison to go and get her coat, Ellie straightened up the living room before retrieving her own from the dining room. Making sure that Allie wasn't looking, Ellie holstered her gun and pocketed her phone. While she wasn't expecting anything to happen she wasn't willing to take any risks. 

Locking the door to Gibbs' house behind her, Ellie held out her hand to Allie who took it with ease and hand in hand the pair set off down the walk. 

They were almost to the park Gibbs' had told her about when Ellie suddenly got the feeling they were being watched. Pausing she tightened her grip on Allie's hand and surveyed their surroundings. For the most part the street was quiet, there was an elderly couple walking in the opposite direction and on the other side of the street and a man working on his car in his driveway, nothing that stood out as strange or dangerous. 

Sensing Allie's gaze she looked down at her and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and resumed their walk, but she remained on high alert the entire way. 

Once they'd reached the park, Ellie stopped at the entrance and looked around. There was a walking path that circled around and through a patch of woods and a playground with swings, slides and a few other things that Ellie was certain she didn't play on as a child. Gaining Allison's attention she asked her what she wanted to do first, but the little girl only shrugged and left the decision up to Ellie. 

"Okay, let's take a walk first," Ellie suggested and lead her on to the path. Wanting to distract the child as much as possible Ellie kept up a steady flow of chatter, mostly about the park and staying away from sensitive subjects that might remind Allie of what she'd lost. But Ellie remained aware of their surroundings at all times. 

She still hadn't managed to shake the feeling they were being watched. 

A tug on her hand drew her attention down to where Allie was pointing at a small yellow flower. The first sign of spring. Pulling her hand from Ellie's, Allie squatted down to get a better look at the bright spot of color in the otherwise brown and grey park. She reached out and touched it gently, but didn't pluck it, instead she gave it a small approving pat, almost as if she were congratulating it on a job well done. The simple act brought a huge grin to Ellie's face but she felt the grin slip from her face as a chill went up her spine. 

Subtly taking out her phone she made it look as though she were going to take a picture of Allie, but instead she angled the camera slightly to her right which gave her a full view of the path behind her where she spotted a man standing fifty feet away from them. 

Gregory Collins.

* * *

"And how exactly do we know someone broke in?" Tony asked as soon as he and Gibbs had arrived. 

The house was in the same condition as they had left it in yesterday, excluding the two dead bodies and the belongings of one traumatized five year old child. There was no apparent evidence of a break in, at least at first glance. But McGee had that look on his face. That look that said I know something you don't and glaring at the younger agent he said, "okay McKnow-it-all, out with it." 

Smirking, McGee said, "the victims had a state of the art security system. Yesterday I contacted the firm that manages the alarms and requested their logs to find out if there had been any suspicious activity. I also informed them that it was part of a murder investigation, but they didn't get back to me until this morning." McGee paused for effect before continuing. "After the break in." 

"Was the alarm triggered?" Gibbs asked. 

McGee shook his head and replied, "no, that's the thing. The alarm was disabled. It was also disabled the night the victims were murdered, but the security company had no reason to suspect anything was wrong at the time. But when the alarm was disabled this morning they knew that it couldn't have been the victims, so they contacted the police." 

"Is anything missing?" Was Gibbs' next question. 

Once again McGee shook his head. "It doesn't look like it, but it does look like a few things have been moved around. It's almost as if someone were looking for something." 

"Or someone," Tony said. "You think Collins returned to the scene to look for Allie? Maybe he found out about the secret hiding spot." 

"It's possible," Tim replied as Gibbs shrugged his shoulders. "Boss, there's something else." 

Indicating that the two senior officers should follow him, McGee lead them back into the kitchen and moved toward the center island. Picking up a large evidence bag McGee held it up so the other two men could clearly see what was inside. 

"Is that our murder weapon?" Gibbs asked. 

McGee nodded and handed the offending object to the older man. It was a simple piece of wood, but driven through one end was a particularly long nail. A 20d, about four inches long. That type of nail was commonly used in construction, for joining the wood framing of houses. The nail and the board were covered in blood. 

"Where did you find it?" Tony asked. 

"It was actually found by a neighbor, in a pile of brush in their backyard. They were planning on burning it but found that instead," McGee explained. 

"Collins is in construction," Tony pointed out. 

Gibbs gave the makeshift weapon a once over and an unvoiced question popped into his head. Why would Collins use such a crude murder weapon, especially when he had other tools at his disposal? There were answers to his question but while these answers didn't satisfy him they did allow him to put the question to the side for a moment. 

"Get it to Abby," Gibbs ordered just before his phone rang. Pulling the phone out his pocket he answered, "Gibbs." 

Tony and Tim watched their boss's face become grim as he listened to whoever was on the other end of the line. Moments later Gibbs hung up the phone without a word and tightened his grip around it. 

"Boss? What is it?" McGee asked hesitantly.

"Collins," Gibbs's reply was vague as he turned to leave the kitchen. "Let's go!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Four will be posted next Friday, April 8, 2016 @ 5 p.m. EST.


	4. What Happened?

Stepping off the elevator at NCIS, Gibbs immediately spotted Bishop with the director and Ducky and made his way toward the trio. Once his newest agent realized he'd arrived she moved away from the other two men and toward him meeting him halfway. 

There must have been something in his demeanor or a look on his face, because only Bishop approached him. Ducky and Vance hung back and Gibbs knew that McGee and DiNozzo had ridden in back in the former's car after he left them at the curb outside the victim's house. But there was Bishop, a hand on his chest, effectively stopping him in his tracks, and a concerned look on her face.

"Are you alright?" She asked, her gaze searching his.

"Isn't that something I should be asking you?" Gibbs countered. 

Having just come in from the cold the warmth coming from Ellie's hand was strikingly noticeable and he tried not to think about the calming effect it was having on him or the loss he felt when she finally dropped her hand. 

"What happened?" McGee asked, looking from Gibbs to Bishop and back again. "Is Allison alright?"

Realizing that Gibbs hadn't told them what had happened at the park, Ellie quickly assured both of her fellow agents that the little girl was safe and sound with Abby up in the conference room. Moving out of the way the group, minus Ducky who joined Abby and Allie, retreated up to Vance's office where Ellie filled them in on what had happened at the park. 

"I don't know how Collins found out, but he knows where Allie is staying because he was able to follow us from Gibbs's house to the park," Ellie explained. "I got the feeling we weren't alone about half way there and the feeling only got stronger the longer we stayed. At one point I made it appear as though I was going to take a picture of Allie, but instead I used the front facing camera on my phone and I saw Collins standing about fifty feet from where we were. I reached for my gun and turned around, once he saw my gun he took one more look at Allie and then left the park."

"Did Allie see him?" McGee asked, concern for the little girl evident in his voice.

Ellie shook her head. "Luckily, no. She was distracted by a flower and I tried not to let on that anything was wrong.”

“What time did you see him?” Tony asked, pulling out his phone. Bishop gave him the exact time and watched curiously as he busied himself on his phone. “Huh,” he said, then realizing that all eyes in the room were on him he explained. “I was wondering if Collins would’ve had enough time to get from his apartment, where Gibbs and I saw him this morning, to the park.”

“Would he?” Vance asked.

“Barely,” Tony replied. “If he had access to a vehicle and didn’t run into any heavy traffic or accidents. Are you sure it was Collins you saw at the park?”

Bishop nodded and said, “I managed to snap a picture of him and it matched the picture we have on file. Are you sure that _you_ saw Collins at his apartment,” she countered.

Tony exchanged a look with Gibbs. “The man we saw was wearing a baseball cap. I didn’t get a good look at him before he bolted,” Tony admitted. “What about you, boss?”

Gibbs shook his head. While Bishop could confirm that the man she saw was in fact Collins, neither Gibbs nor Tony could do the same. But if the man they saw at Collins’ apartment wasn’t in fact their suspect, then who was he? And why was he there? At this point they had more questions than they did answers. But Gibbs wasn’t about to ignore the possible danger Gregory Collins still posed to his daughter. 

“I want to know how the hell Collins found out where Allie is staying,” Gibbs growled out. 

“We’re looking into that,” Vance replied. Judging by the look on the director’s face there would be hell to pay if he discovered that someone within the agency had let that information leak, even if it were an accidental leak. “Now, where are we on this case?”

The MCR team filled Vance and each other in on what they’d come up with so far. Tony and Gibbs covered what they’d found in Collins’ apartment, while McGee informed Vance and Ellie about the break-in, and Ellie wrapped up their meeting with the anonymous phone call made to social services about Allie. 

“I’ll get in touch with CPS,” McGee said once she was done. “If they’re willing to hand over the phone records maybe I can trace the call.”

“Tomorrow,” Vance ordered. “It’s late, it’s time for you all to go home. McGee, DiNozzo, you’re dismissed.” The two agents nodded and made their goodbyes before leaving Gibbs and Bishop with the director. Vance looked at the two remaining agents and said, “Clearly Collins knows where Allie is, I’m wondering if we need to reevaluate this situation.”

“You’re wondering if Allie will be safe at my house?” Gibbs asked, glancing over at Bishop who appeared to be deep in thought.

“Will she?” Vance challenged. “That little girl has been through enough and if there’s even the slightest possibility-"

“There isn’t,” Ellie said. “Sorry sir, but the chances are pretty slim that Collins will make an attempt to get to Allie at Gibbs’ house.”

“Explain,” Vance ordered, clearly not happy that he had been interrupted by a junior agent.

“Sir, Collins doesn’t have the advantage of surprise anymore. He knows that I’ve seen him and having seen my gun he has to know that she’s under protective custody,” Ellie explained. “Furthermore, if he knows where she’s staying then he has to know who the house belongs to. Is he really going to try and take Allie from two federal agents who will now be prepared for him?”

“Your analysis says…” Vance prompted.

“No. He won’t take the risk of going after Allie at Gibbs’ house,” she announced. 

“But she could still be at risk elsewhere,” Gibbs filled in.

Ellie nodded. “There’s still the element of surprise at a public location. A busy shopping center, fast food restaurant, or a park. The right distraction would afford him the opportunity to move in and take her if she’s not sufficiently protected. I would recommend that if Allie goes out in public again, that she have at least two agents with her at all times.”

“You’re certain about your assessment?” Vance asked. 

Once again Ellie nodded. “If Collins were reckless he would’ve approached Allie and I in the park, or at the very least he would’ve tested me. Pushed my limits. But he didn’t. Instead he was careful and retreated. Until he acts otherwise, I stand by my analysis.”

Vance nodded his own head in satisfaction, mildly impressed by Agent Bishop’s skills. “Then go take her home,” Vance said, subtly dismissing the pair and focusing on the papers scattered on his desk.

* * *

Ellie wasn’t normally a bath person. Typically she took showers and they were always quick, stemming from a childhood growing up in a household with, on average, six people living under one roof. Hot water had always been in short supply. Baths had been a luxury only her mother indulged in from time to time, but even those occasions had been rare.

However Ellie needed some alone time, having spent a majority of the past 36 hours with Allie, and an hour in the bath seemed to fit the bill. It also gave her the opportunity to settle her mind after the events of the afternoon. 

Seeing Collins, so close, had shaken her in more ways than one. On a surface level, as a federal agent, she’d been concerned for the child under her protection. If Collins had reacted any differently, approached them for instance, she would’ve been forced to draw her gun and confront him, an action that would’ve certainly frightened Allie. And if that didn’t stop him, or if he had a weapon himself, there was no telling how the situation could’ve turned out. It was something she didn’t want to think about but Ellie still ran the scenarios over and over again in her head, analyzing them to death.

But analyzing those scenarios kept her from thinking about how the event had affected her on a deeper level. She’d felt her protective instincts kick in and it didn’t take a genius to figure out they were the mothering kind of instincts, which frightened her. She’d tried her best to smother the feelings as she and Allie waited at the park for backup to be sent by dispatch, but they continued to linger and Ellie was starting to worry. 

Before her divorce from Jake, before he admitted to having an affair, Ellie had been making plans. She’d spent hours researching adoption and surrogacy, going through their finances with a fine tooth comb, scouring real estate websites for the perfect house, and subtly asking her co-workers, who were parents themselves, how they balanced family and work. But with the dissolution of her marriage, her plans and her dreams were put on an indefinite hiatus. 

Prior to this case Ellie had started to resign herself to waiting a little longer, but Allie’s presence in her life was making it much harder and she found herself channeling all of her motherly feelings into this one little girl. 

One little girl who wasn’t her daughter and never would be.

Tears welled up in her eyes and fell to her cheeks with the thought and before she knew it she was crying in earnest. Trying her best to stifle her sobs with the back of her hand she abandoned herself to her grief until the bathwater grew cold. 

Pulling the plug on the old fashioned drain Ellie stood up and reached for her towel. Drying herself off she quickly dressed in a pair of sweatpants and an old OSU t-shirt and was towel drying her hair when Gibbs knocked on the door. Glancing briefly at her reflection the mirror she noted her red rimmed eyes, pale appearance, disheveled hair, and nightwear and couldn’t help wishing she looked a little different. Gibbs might be her boss, but he was still an attractive man and she was still a product of the culture she was raised in. 

Opening the door, releasing the tepid, humid air out into the hallway, she watched as Gibbs gave her a once over before saying, “Allie’s starting to look for you.”

Ellie nodded, hung up her towel, and shutting off the light found that Gibbs still blocked her path out of the bathroom. 

“You all right?” He asked, his voice rough with concern. 

“I’m fine,” she replied. If Gibbs had pushed his question there was little doubt in Ellie’s mind that she would have spilled out her heart to him, right then and there. But he didn’t. He nodded and led the way back to the living room, where Allie was waiting for her. 

The little girl was seated in the middle of the couch, her short legs dangling off the edge, brushing out Enigma who lay stretched across her lap. Ellie paused in the doorway and watched as Gibbs took a seat in his chair and tell Allie that she was doing a good job. She stopped what she was doing and examined the cat’s back and nodded before going back to the job Ellie had shown her how to do that afternoon. 

Taking a deep breath Ellie mentally reminded herself that she had to remain professional. This was her job and getting to attached to Allie could distract her and that was something she could not afford to do. Any distractions could have life or death consequences for Allie and Ellie knew that if anything ever happened to Allie she would never be able to forgive herself.

* * *

Gibbs woke with a start. 

Groaning he sat up in his chair and glanced over at the couch, where Allie and Ellie lay curled up. The TV was still on and a black and white movie that he didn’t recognize was playing on the screen, the sole source of light in the otherwise darkened room. Gibbs realized that they must have fallen asleep half way through the movie they’d been watching. 

Blinking a few times he focused on his watch and saw that it was still pretty early, only shortly past eleven and once again he glanced over at where the pair of blondes lay asleep on what was normally his bed. 

Allie was sound asleep and, for now, undisturbed by nightmares. 

It took him a minute to realize what had woken him. The cats, Patch and Enigma, were, well they were growling. Patch was sitting right next to his chair, his orange tail agitatedly waving back and forth as he stared out into the dark hallway, where Gibbs could hear Enigma. Shooting a quick look over at Bishop, he silently rose, briefly attracting Patch’s attention. The cat glanced up at him with his amber eyes then back out into the hall letting out with a low, menacing growl that surprised Gibbs by send a chill up his spine. 

Moving quietly out into the hallway Gibbs saw Enigma. The white cat was on all fours staring at the front door, growling lowly in his throat. But what put Gibbs on edge was the way the cat stood rigidly, his hair spiked out and standing straight up. Gibbs was about to go back for his gun when Enigma suddenly let out with a soft but ominous hissing sound before lapsing back into growling. 

Retrieving his gun Gibbs made his way to the front door, followed by Patch who took his place next to Enigma, and peered out through the window. While he couldn’t see anything the growling of the two animals continued as they remained on guard but he could feel their eyes watching him. Unlocking the door Gibbs raised his gun and stepped outside, his bare feet making contact with the cold surface of the front stoop. He let his gaze linger on every object and every shadow that crossed his path, but all he saw were the trees swaying gently with the early spring wind and a plastic grocery bag slowly making its way down the street. 

The air was cold but humid, hinting at the possibility of rain. Glancing back at the two cats, he listened and realized that they were no longer growling. Taking one last look around him he made his way back into the house, chalking the cats behavior up to the presence of a wild animal. Locking the door behind him he flipped the safety back on and returned his gun to the book case. 

While Enigma disappeared, Patch had followed him back into the living room and jumped up into his chair, curling up into a small ball before closing his eyes.

Sighing, Gibbs considered his options before realizing that there was no other choice than to get Bishop and Allie up into bed. He needed to be down here where he could be the first line of defense. Moving to the couch he carefully lifted Allie out from Bishop’s arm and settling the girl’s light weight against his chest he carried her to bed. Tucking her under the covers he brushed a lock of her light hair away from her forehead and murmured the same words he’d said to her at dinner.

“You’re gonna be alright, kid.”

Leaving Allie tucked up under the blankets, Gibbs went back for Bishop. Pausing, he sat down on the arm of the couch and watched her for a minute, thinking back to her red rimmed eyes earlier in the evening. He knew she’d been crying and he also knew she had to be exhausted from the past two days and he was worried that if he tried to carry her up to bed she’d more than likely wake up. But he didn’t have any other choice; he couldn’t leave her down here. 

But his worries were all for naught because no sooner had he stood when Allie’s high pitched scream tore through the house and Bishop was scrambling up from the couch. Watching her slam her shin into the coffee table Gibbs reached out, wrapping his arm around her waist to steady her as she regained her bearings. 

Hearing Allie’s continued screams Gibbs let go of Bishop, who was rubbing her leg, and made his way toward the stairs. Ellie must have noticed him hesitating by the door because she waved her hand up in Allie’s direction.

“I’m fine,” She blurted out. “Go.”

He nodded once before leaving her and going back to the little girl, who had suddenly gone quiet. Flipping on the light switch he looked at the bed, only to find it empty, but the heart-wrenching sound of her sobs drew his attention to a spot between the dresser and the wall. Feeling Bishop’s hand on his arm, he turned and watched her push past him and go to Allie. Holding out her arms the little girl practically sprang from the corner and into her embrace. 

Sitting on the floor and holding Allie in her arms, Bishop faced Gibbs and the pair shared a look.

It was going to be another long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter five will be posted next Friday, April 15, 2016 @ 6 p.m. EST.


	5. What's Up Doc?

Sitting in the passenger's seat of her truck, Ellie's eyes were closed but she was awake. Gibbs was driving the three of them to George Washington University Hospital for Allison's appointment with Dr. Bryson. Since the appearance of Gregory Collins at the park the previous day, Gibbs had gone into ultra protective mode and had insisted on taking the morning off and joining them at the hospital. Right from the get-go Ellie knew that there was no use in arguing and, while she wouldn't admit it, she was a bit relieved to have him with her.

It wasn't that she was worried about Collins making another appearance, but rather the support his presence gave not only her but Allison too. 

As Ellie told Gibbs the first day, she loved kids but didn't know much about them and she was basically flying by the seat of her pants when it came to helping Allie. The little girl had a long road to recovery ahead of her and Gibbs seemed to understand that, perhaps better than Ellie ever could. Both of them had gone through traumatic events and while Allison may have all but surgically attached herself to Ellie and instinctively sought safety from her, she looked to Gibbs to offer her reassurance. 

For the past two nights Gibbs had told Allie that the little girl was going to be alright and this morning he repeated the same words that he had told her the previous morning. That that night would be better and that she was going to be okay. Of course, both nights Allie had woken up screaming, crying and shaking from whatever haunted her nightmares. 

Both Ellie and Gibbs knew that Allison wouldn't start to make any real progress toward recovery until she started talking again. Ellie could only hope that Dr. Bryson was a miracle worker. No sooner had the thought crossed her mind when Gibbs started to slow the truck down as he pulled into the hospital parking lot. 

Opening her eyes Ellie looked around until finally her gaze landed on Allie. Her small body was tense with anxiety as she purposefully focused on the stuffed unicorn held in her lap. Yesterday evening after all three had returned from NCIS following the incident with Allison's father and after Ellie had the chance to tell Gibbs about Dr. Bryson they told Allie about the appointment. They had also talked to her about it that morning over a quick breakfast, but Bishop wasn't sure if Allie understood or not and she decided that she needed to know more about the little girl's life.

Unbuckling Allison's seatbelt she also decided that if she was going to be with them for much longer they would need to either buy a booster seat or see if they could obtain the seat Allison had used with her aunt and uncle. 

Allison followed Gibbs out his side of the truck and stretching out her arms he picked her up and settled her on his hip as Ellie got out. Locking up the vehicle the trio made their way into the hospital and straight to Dr. Bryson's office.

Greeting the receptionist, Ellie informed her that they had an appointment.

"Of course, Dr. Bryson is expecting you," the young woman replied with a smile. "I'll let her know you're here."

Knowing that the doctor wouldn't be too long neither Gibbs nor Bishop took a seat, instead they remained standing and tried to remain as relaxed as possible, if only for Allie's sake.

Hearing a door open behind them both agents turned to see a woman, who was probably in her early eighties approach. Ellie mentally matched this woman to the pictures of Dr. Bryson that she'd found online during her quick research session the previous day. Honestly she was just as gorgeous as her picture. The older woman was a few inches taller than Ellie, slim and had short curly grey hair. She wore a pair of trendy glasses, a white long sleeved shirt that was tucked into a pair of light grey pants, and a heavy stone statement necklace. 

Taking off her glasses she held out her hand and greeted them both before turning her attention to Allison. Smiling at the little girl being held in Gibbs arms she introduced herself. "Hello Allison, my name is Dr. Katherine Bryson, but when you're ready to talk you can call me Katie. Okay?"

Dr. Bryson seemed to wait for some level of response but when nothing was forthcoming she simply nodded her head in temporary acceptance and focused her attention back on Gibbs and Bishop. 

"If you'd like to follow me I'll show you to my office," she said before taking the lead.

Her office turned out to be one large room, at one end there were a wide variety of neatly kept toys, books, and children's furniture. At the opposite end of the room was a large desk that stood in front of a wall of glass cabinets that housed an impressive selection of books, there was also a circle of large, comfortable chairs. Everything in the room, including the children's items, was minimalistic and modern, but was surprisingly warm and welcoming. 

Urging Gibbs to put Allie on the ground Dr. Bryson approached Ellie and asked her to take the little girl over to the toys. Doing as the doctor asked Ellie took Allison by the hand and guided her over to a table that had coloring books and crayons scattered across the surface. From the opposite end Dr. Bryson and Gibbs watched as Ellie picked out an animal themed coloring book and gave it to Allison.

Glancing over at Agent Gibbs Dr. Bryson explained, "Agent Bishop is establishing my office as a safe zone. If she feels comfortable enough to engage in an activity like coloring then Allison will too."

Gibbs nodded but continued to watch the pair of blondes, fully aware of Dr. Bryson scrutinizing gaze. "What?" He finally asked turning to look at her expectantly.

"You're concerned about Allison's well-being," Dr. Bryson replied. "You both are."

"Of course we are," Gibbs said, baffled by the evident surprise in her voice.

"More so than the average agent assigned to protective duty," she added with an eyebrow raised in challenge. She waited for a response but Gibbs was tight lipped and not her patient so she moved on. "Please, take a seat," she said indicating to one of the chairs. 

Sitting opposite one another Dr. Bryson asked Gibbs to fill her in on their case and its progress. She took notes as he spoke and asked a few questions about Gregory Collins, Allison's mother and their relationship, and information about the aunt and uncle. By the time he was done Ellie had joined them and took the chair next to Gibbs. 

"Normally I would start by telling you a little about myself, but you're both, by all accounts, excellent agents, so I imagine you've already done your homework," she said and noted the shared glance that told her that she was right. Nodding she continued, "I will point out that I've been practicing for more than forty years. I started just after the end of the Vietnam War. Orphaned children, who had witnessed unspeakable acts of violence were being brought over in droves and put up for adoption, Operation New Life. You may have heard of it. Well, someone needed to help the older children through the trauma of not only the war but being brought to a foreign country. I happened to be interested.

Over the course of my career I've helped a number of children and one of the things that I've learned when dealing with children who are suffering from PTSD is that each case is different. Some children, more often than adults, will bounce back relatively quickly, but others may take some time," she said, pausing for a moment before continuing. "In this case I do understand the need to get Allison speaking again, not only for your case but also to help aid in her recovery. You should know that I've spoken with her pediatrician," Dr. Bryson informed them, handing Ellie a piece of paper with the name of a Dr. Stephen Kwon along with his contact information. "I'll be working with him very closely and we both wanted to make the suggestion that you bring Allison into see him. It might help her to see a familiar and friendly face."

Both Gibbs and Ellie nodded their agreement and Ellie made a mental note to make the appointment as soon as they left. She also thought about maybe trying to contact the parents of Allie's playmates, as soon as she found out who they were, and make plans with them. But she would have to ask Dr. Bryson about when it might be a good idea for that to happen. She also found herself imagining a bunch of little girls, like Allie, gathered around Gibbs for a tea party. The thought almost made her smirk, but Dr. Bryson was talking again.

"There are a few things I'd like to know first before I develop a treatment plan for Allison, and the answers to those questions can only come from you two."

"Ask away, but Bishop probably knows more than me," Gibbs replied.

"That might be true, but I'd still like input from both of you," she answered back. "How has Allison been sleeping?"

The question was easy enough to answer and Ellie and Gibbs informed Dr. Bryson about the previous two nights, including as much detail as possible. 

Following her first question came questions about Allie's eating habits (yes she ate, but only when she was sufficiently distracted, if she was allowed to wallow in her own thoughts, she would push her plate away) and her day to day activities (distractions helped to get her to engage and become an active participant, if not verbally in other significant ways). Then Ellie went into Allie's relationship with the agent's cats and how the animals brought out a playful side in the little girl and seemed to animate her the most. Dr. Bryson urged the continued interaction with the animals, explaining how they could possibly aid in Allison's therapy process. 

"Other than when she wakes up at night, does she cry?"

Ellie stopped, thought, and answered sadly. "No. Other than the first time when she came out the hidden cubby hole she doesn't cry."

Making a quick note, Dr. Bryson then asked, "has she laughed, even inadvertently, or chuckled."

"No," Ellie answered, her voice cracking on the word.

"Has she gotten angry, refused to go to bed or eat her vegetables?" 

Both Gibbs and Ellie shook their heads no. Neither were able to answer verbally. They both knew, even without Dr. Bryson telling them, that Allie's case was bad. This five year old child was so afraid she didn't dare speak, cry, laugh, or even express anger and it was faced with this realization that Ellie and Gibbs knew that Allie had to have seen more than they first assumed. Suddenly Ellie felt like a complete failure and she wasn't sure why. Dr. Bryson picked up on Ellie's despondency almost immediately.

"Ellie, while it doesn't seem like it, you've managed one of the most important things. You've managed to get Allison to trust you, and because she trusts you, by default, she trusts those who you place your trust in. Agent Gibbs, for example. It also goes to show that she's not beyond recovery. Because trusting someone, especially after her world has been shattered so violently, is a huge step," Dr. Bryson explained. "It may take some time, but the rest will follow." 

Once Ellie had nodded her head Dr. Bryson informed the two agents that she was going to spend a few minutes with Allie but that afterward they could leave.

Ellie watched the pair interact until Gibbs said her name and she turned to face him.

"Whatever happens with Allie, it's not just on you. We're in this together," Gibbs told her. 

Ellie surprised Gibbs by reaching out and taking his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze in gratitude. After everything that had happened with Jake and the divorce Ellie had felt alone, as if it were just her up against the world. She needed this small reminder that she wasn't alone. It meant more to her than Gibbs could possibly understand.

* * *

Running the last fork under cold water Gibbs shook it off and added it to the basket with the rest of the drying dishes before emptying the sink of the warm, sudsy water and washing his hands. Reaching for a towel to dry his hands he glanced into the dining room and watched the two blondes as they hovered over a game on Bishop's tablet. Allie was sitting in Bishop's lap at the table, their backs to him he couldn't see their faces but could hear Bishop's soft voice as she spoke about the game. 

Following their visit to the shrink’s office Gibbs decided that he would take the rest of the day off and spend it at home. While Bishop caught up on some much needed sleep, Gibbs spent his time with Allie, trying his best to get her to at least smile or even laugh. But when he didn’t have any luck he tried switching gears at dinner, running out to the grocery store for brussel sprouts. Bishop had looked at him in disgust when she saw them but when he explained that he was trying to get Allie to put up a fight about what she ate for dinner the agent went along with him. It didn’t work though and when the two agents realized that Allie was going to eat the overcooked, mushy vegetable solely because it was put in front of her they stopped her almost immediately. Needless to say none of them ate their vegetables that night and Gibbs was back to square one. 

He was pulled out of his thoughts when a knock came from the front door. Bishop sat up straighter and turned to look over her shoulder at Gibbs and they shared a look. They weren't expecting anyone. Nodding at his agent Gibbs went back to the refrigerator and retrieved his gun from the top and flipped off the safety. While Bishop distracted Allie, Gibbs answered the front door. 

Unlocking the door, he swung it open and said, "Fornell."

The FBI agent inclined his head and raised an eyebrow at the gun in the other man's hand. "The doors locked and you're greeting me with a gun, you must be pretty worried about this case," Fornell said, pushing his way past Gibbs.

"What do you know about our case?" Gibbs asked, blocking the other man's path with the hand that held his gun.

"Enough," he replied, once again looking down at the gun.

"What do you want, Tobias?" Gibbs asked. He wasn't about to let the man go any further, unsure of Allie's reaction to a complete stranger.

"From you? Nothing. I'm here to see Ellie."

"Ellie?" The way he said her name reflected his surprise and confusion. 

"Yes, Ellie. Bishop. You know the woman whose currently living with you," Fornell snarked. "Is she around."

"I'm right here," Ellie announced, stepping into view. Holding Allie in her arms she sent Gibbs a silent message to put his gun away before he scared the little girl. Getting the message loud and clear Gibbs tucked the gun out of sight. 

Fornell watched the interaction with interest.

"What's up Tobias?" Ellie asked, shifting Allie a bit on her hip.

"Aren't you going to introduce me first?" He countered, nodding at Allie.

"Of course, Allie this is Tobias Fornell, he's an FBI agent. That's like a police officer or an NCIS agent, like Gibbs and I," Ellie explained as the little girl turned to look at the new man. "Tobias, this is Allison."

"Hello, Allison. I'm very pleased to meet you." 

Fornell held out his hand and waited as Allie looked up at Ellie, then at Gibbs, but neither adult gave her any indication what she should do. Instead they waited and let her make her own decision. All three were patient as she mulled it over until finally she stuck out her own hand and let Fornell give her hand a small shake. 

Surprisingly it was Gibbs who let out with an audible sigh of relief.

Looking back up at Ellie, Fornell got down to the reason why he'd come over in the first place. "I have a favor to ask."

Moving into the living room, Ellie set the little girl down and just as soon as she was on her feet Allison made her way over to where Patch lay stretched out in front of the TV set. While the little girl was busy petting the purring cat the three adults took a seat, Gibbs in his chair with Ellie perched on the arm and Fornell on the couch.

"Emily has her first major school dance coming up in three weeks," Fornell started to explain. "Since her mother... well you know," he said, hedging around the word 'dead' for Allie's sake, "she's skipped all the others. I didn't know about it until one of her teachers mentioned it to me a couple weeks ago. I told her she was going, whether she liked it or not."

Gibbs cocked his head to the side and cast a dubious look in the FBI agent's direction. "You're forcing your fifteen year old daughter to go to a school dance. With boys."

"Thank you, Jethro," Tobias shot back. "I'm well aware of the irony."

Ellie couldn't help it, she rolled her eyes at the pair but stifled a sigh of annoyance. She wasn't going to say it but Emily is probably significantly more mature than either of them was at her age and given the era she's growing up in she can no doubt handle herself pretty well. She's a smart girl and definitely deserved more credit, but it wasn’t Ellie job to lecture either man about it. Instead she switched gears on the conversation.

"What was the favor you wanted?" She asked, bringing focus back to the conversation.

"Without her mother around she doesn't have anyone to go shopping with," Fornell started to explain before Gibbs interrupted him. 

"Why can't you take her shopping?" Gibbs asked.

Ellie scoffed and, without even thinking, smacked Gibbs's shoulder lightly. Shaking her head she said, "She can’t go shopping with her dad!" 

"That's almost exactly what she said," Fornell said. "Only she launched into a tirade Diane would've been proud of about how embarrassing it would be, especially if her friends saw us."

"Well, what about going shopping with her friends?" Ellie asked. She could see where this was leading but wanted all the facts before she agreed to anything.

"I asked her that too, she just said that they were going out with their mothers. She thought it might be 'weird,' to quote her" Fornell replied with a helpless shrug.

"What about the mother-in-law?" Gibbs asked, but the look on Fornell face had Gibbs saying, "that would be a definite no."

Ellie was a little surprised that Emily didn't want to go out with her friends, when she was her age Ellie had practically insisted that her mother stay home. Of course that had lead to a number of returns and exchanges because a dress was deemed 'inappropriate.' But Ellie quickly remembered that Tobias had said that this was her first major dance, and for her own big dances she'd gone shopping with her mother. 

Glancing over at Allie, Ellie said, "so you were wondering if I would be willing to take Em shopping."

Fornell nodded his head.

"What does she have to say?" Ellie asked.

"I haven’t asked her yet," he admitted. "I wanted to check with you first. I wanted to make sure you’d be okay with it."

"Have her give me a call," Ellie said. "We can set something up."

Fornell thanked Ellie and then turned his attention to Allison. The little girl had left Patch and gone into the dining room where she was currently working on a page in her coloring book. Keeping his gaze focused on Allie he said, “Tell me more about your case, I want to know if I can help.”


	6. Mini-Me

In the five days since Bishop and Allie had moved in with Gibbs his house had undergone a drastic change. 

Once the crime scene had been fully documented they were able to retrieve more of Allison’s things, including a booster seat, more toys, lots of clothes, books, and other miscellaneous items that filled up the house. Bishop’s things also started to make an appearance, but in a smaller way and, for the most part, remained in boxes. 

The biggest impact Bishop had was on the kitchen, which was practically exploding with food and Gibbs began to truly understand how much food Bishop actually consumed. If he were honest he didn’t know if he should be concerned or enter her into a competitive eating contest.

Nevertheless, his house had changed and he wasn’t sure how he felt about it.

Looking into the living room he watched as Bishop pulled Allie’s hair up into a ponytail as the little girl worked at attaching a bright neon pink bow to Engima’s long white hair. So far she’d managed to attach three running down his back in a rainbow of colors. Mentally Gibbs made a note to himself to stay behind that morning while Bishop drove Allie and herself into NCIS and remove the bows.

It was the least he could do for the cat who was patiently putting up with Allie’s attentions while staring at him with a look that said he wanted to be put out of his misery.

He was a good cat, Gibbs decided.

“Okay, we’re done,” Bishop announced, finally looking past Allie and at her cat. The junior agent’s eyes widened comically as she took in the sight. “Good, job Allie,” she told the little girl while trying desperately to keep the laughter out of her voice. Both for Allie’s sake and the cat’s dignity. “Why don’t you go get your coat, okay?”

Allie nodded and went to go retrieve her coat once the cat jumped off of her lap. Enigma looked up at Ellie desperately but all she could do was pick him up, apologize and give him a quick cuddle before Allie returned. 

Retrieving her own jacket Ellie looked to Gibbs and said, “Are you ready to go?”

“I’ll be right behind you,” he replied, with a wink and telling glance toward the cat.

Mouthing the words ‘thank you’ she herded Allie out of the door and to her truck. Once Allie was buckled in Ellie started her truck, catching a glimpse of Gibbs in her rear view mirror she watched as he got into his car before pulling out of the driveway. 

Making her way to the NCIS offices, Ellie glanced at the little girl next to her and bit her lip worryingly. Allie would be spending a good part of her morning with McGee while she and Gibbs interviewed the little girl’s aunt, Rachel Porter. Once the woman realized the police were looking for not only her but her brother as well she contacted them and made arrangements to make a statement. Gibbs made it clear that he wanted her back and to take lead on the interview, and Ellie had readily accepted. She’d been itching to get back to work the past couple of days. 

But she felt guilty at the same time. She was worried that Allie wasn’t ready and that she was pushing her into something that could set back her recovery. Ellie was also worried that Rachel Porter will want the girl to stay with her. It was possible. They could simply assign rotating agents to the little girl. If that happened, she wouldn’t just lose Allie but Gibbs too, since she wouldn’t have any reason to stay at his house any longer. 

The prospect caused the knot of dread in her stomach that had formed the night before to tighten. 

Lost in her thoughts she jumped slightly when Allie turned the radio on but quickly became thankful for the distraction. The pair spent the rest of the car ride listening to pop songs making the trip a little faster.

Arriving at NCIS, Gibbs right behind them, Ellie unbuckled Allie and the trio made their way into the building and directly to the bullpen where they were greeted by Tony. 

The senior agent had a pink bag with a prancing unicorn printed on the front in his hands and he was practically bouncing on his heels. Ignoring his boss and teammate Tony made a beeline for Allie who gave him an enthusiastic wave. 

“This is for you,” he announced, handing the bag over to Allie. She looked at the bag, then to the unicorn in her arms and finally up at Tony, her fine brow knit in confusion. “I thought, that since you’re playing agent for the day, you should look the part.”

Grinning, Tony shushed Gibbs and Bishop who were trying to question him, and instead watched as Allie pulled the tissue paper out of the bag and revealed not only a miniature NCIS cap but also a miniature version of the jackets they wear out in the field. Allie dropped everything and quickly put the cap on, squashing her ponytail until Ellie pulled it through the back. Shrugging out of her coat she put on the jacket Tony gave her and looked down at herself in awe.

“You like it?” he asked. 

Allie nodded vigorously and moved to give him a tight hug, showing him she was thankful in her own silent way. 

“Good, now you’re just like one of us!” He exclaimed, before taking a second look at her then looking back and forth at her and Ellie. Grinning and taking the little girls hand he said to Bishop. “You have a Mini Me.”

Ellie rolled her eyes as the very special agent stuck his pinky finger at the corner of his mouth in an imitation of the Austin Powers character. She, Gibbs, and McGee, who had come up behind Tony, then watched as he brought her over to his desk where showed her his badge and began demonstrating how to flash it. 

“Great, now how am I supposed to beat that,” McGee sighed. “Where’d he even find stuff that small?”

Not knowing the answer to either of his questions, Gibbs and Bishop just shrugged their shoulders. Shaking his head McGee informed them that Rachel Porter had already arrived and was waiting for them up in the conference room. Sharing a look, they both quickly deposited their gear and both of them took a minute to let Allie know where they would be. While she initially looked worried a light touch to the letter’s printed on her jacket seemed to reassure her and she gave them a nod before returning her attention back to Tony.

* * *

Entering the conference room they dismissed the young junior agent that had been left with Rachel Porter and introduced themselves. Like Collins, Rachel had dark hair and eyes, but her features were much finer, more delicate and Ellie could see a lot of Allie in the other woman’s face. But unlike Allie, Rachel’s face had deep, fine lines carved into it and she had dark, heavy bags under her eyes that spoke of a fatigue that a good night’s sleep would never be able to cure. With her thin, hardened features she looked much older than her 39 years.

Once all three had taken a seat they started their interview.

“Why didn’t you come to us sooner?” Ellie asked.

“I didn’t know,” she offered up by way of an explanation, with a hint of a southern accent. 

“You didn’t know? Their murders have been all over the news,” Gibbs pointed out.

“I don’t own a TV and even if I did, I wouldn’t be able to afford the cable,” she replied. “Besides I work two jobs, second and third shift, I don’t got any time to watch TV.”

“Then I take it you didn’t contact Child Protective Services about Allison?” Ellie asked.

Rachel’s face softened slightly at the mention of the girl’s name and she shook her head. Looking down at her thin hands she asked, “is she alright?”

Ellie sighed and explained that Allie currently wasn’t talking but that she was under medical supervision and that they had her under protective custody. Ellie reassured her that Allison seemed to be making some progress before launching into the details regarding the murders of Robin Shaw and her husband.

“My brother didn’t kill them,” Rachel said once she was finished. “I know he didn’t.”

“Rachel, I’m sorry but we have every reason to suspect that he did and the fact that’s he’s running from us isn’t helping his case,” Ellie tried to explain.

“Your brother had the motive,” Gibbs said, deliberately trying to provoke her. “He wants to be in Allie’s life and Robin Shaw was keeping him from her.”

Scoffing, Rachel shook her head and glared at Gibbs. “That’s mixed up and you know it. Yeah, Greg wants to be in her life but he knows that he couldn’t care for her, not the way Robin and Dan could. He knows that she was better off with them, that’s why he wouldn’t have killed them. He loves Allie, he’ll do anything for her.”

Ellie and Gibbs shared a look. Rachel Porter seemed convinced that her brother wouldn’t have killed either Shaw or Kedzierski, but was that a loving sister talking or was she right.

“Do you have any idea where your brother might be hiding?” Ellie asked. “We need to talk to him, and if he is innocent, we can help him.”

Rachel shook her head again. “I have no idea,” she replied honestly. “I haven’t heard from him in days. I guess that should been a tipoff right, that something was wrong.”

Neither Gibbs nor Ellie replied to that. The pair questioned her further about her brother’s routines and where he hung out until finally Gibbs told her to call them if she heard anything from her brother and gave her his card. They both thanked her for her time and Ellie offered to walk her out of the building while Gibbs went to meet with the director. 

Leading Rachel past the bullpen, Ellie saw Allison with McGee and turning to the other woman she asked her if she wanted to stop and say hello to her niece. Rachel paused and gazed at the little girl, tears forming in her eyes she quickly shook her head no and headed toward the elevator.

Following closely behind her Ellie lead her out of the building and into the warming spring air. Once the sun hit her face Rachel blinked a couple of times, swiping at the stray tears that fell and breathed in a deep, shaky breath. Concerned Ellie put a hand on her arm and lead her to a nearby bench. They sat in silence for a moment while Rachel gathered her frayed emotions. 

“Are you okay?” Ellie asked.

Rachel nodded. “I just hadn’t seen her since her mother’s funeral. She was only two, cute thing even then. She looks so much like her mom and Robin.”

“She looks a lot like you too,” Ellie told her and watched as the other woman turned to look at her in surprise.

“You think so?”

“Yeah, she has your cheekbones,” Ellie pointed out.

Rachel brought a hand up to her own face and gave a small smile. “Comes from our mother,” she told her. But mentioning her mother stole the smile from her face and dropping her hand she began picking at her fingernails. “We got a lot from our mother. She was an alcoholic too, just like my brother,” she paused a moment before adding, “just like me.”

Ellie didn’t know what to say to that so she simply remained silent and let Rachel continue to talk, sensing that the older woman need unburden herself.

“He tried so hard, he didn’t drink at all when he was younger. He was clean. And then he joined the army and whatever he saw over there, it changed him,” Rachel sighed. She wasn’t offering any excuses for her brother, but pointing out the reason why so many military men and women, just like her brother, came back and turned to drugs and alcohol. “I was different. I was getting into mama’s stuff before high school.”

Turning to look at Ellie she added, “Greg might be screwed up, but he’s not a killer. You gotta believe that, please,” she begged. “Just give him a chance to explain.”

“We will, I promise we won’t hurt him. We just want to find out what happened,” Ellie told her, grasping Rachel’s hand in her own, a small gesture of comfort.

“That’s all I ask,” she replied. Pulling her hand away she brushed any remaining tears away from her face and stood up, quickly followed by Ellie. Staring off into the distance she gave a wry chuckle. “Three years sober, all going down the drain tonight.”

Alarmed, Ellie said,” You don’t want to do that. Think of Allie, she’s going to need you after all of this over with.”

“What’s she going to need me for?” Rachel asked. “To take her in?”

“Either you do or she goes into the system,” Ellie told her. “She doesn’t have anyone else.”

“I wish I could,” Rachel replied, a fresh set of tears in her eyes. “But I can’t, I won’t- I won’t do that to her. I love her too much. She’d be better off taking her chances with a foster family.”

Ellie could see that Rachel truly believed what she said and the agent couldn’t help but feel for the other woman. Giving into her impulse Ellie pulled her into a tight hug and encouraged her to take care of herself and giving Rachel her card she urged her to call her if she needed anything. It wasn’t exactly professional, but she wasn’t about to turn her back on this woman, even if it meant she was going to pull an Abby.

“Thank you,” Rachel said, her voice thick with unshed tears. “And promise you’ll take care of Allie, she’s a really special girl.”

“I promise,” Ellie replied.

* * *

It had taken three days to get the phone number from CPS. The delay stemmed primarily from the reluctance of social services to release their phone records, even if it was a single phone number. Privacy was, rightfully, a concern for them. But they eventually gave in and sent McGee the phone number he’d requested. 

It had come from a cell phone and Tim was currently running a check on the owner of the number but Allie was proving to be a bigger distraction than he’d expected her to be.  
Tim was currently watching Allie as she moved from desk to desk, carefully examining the items that each of the agents had pinned up around their desks, lingering over the photographs, leaning in to peer closely at each of the faces. She paid special attention to the photos behind Gibbs’ desk, specifically the ones with children and their families.

Watching her make her way behind his chair he scooted forward enough to allow her enough room to look at the photo’s pinned up behind him. She stopped and stared at the photo of him with his sister and their parents and tapping him on the shoulder she pointed at the photo and Tim guessed that she wanted him to tell her who they were.

“That’s my sister and my mom and dad,” he told her, pointing to each one. She nodded and spent a few more minutes looking at the picture and that’s when it hit him. 

Did she have any pictures of her with her aunt and her uncle? 

Turning around he quickly brought up the case file and glancing over his shoulder, to make sure Allie wasn’t looking at his computer, he brought up an image folder that contained a few scans of family photos that they had on file. Hitting print on one of them he waited as the image printed, keeping his fingers crossed that he was doing the right thing. Once the printer went silent he picked up the 8 ½ x 11 image and looking down at the three smiling faces once more he took a deep breath and tapped Allie on the shoulder.

Handing her the image he watched first as her eyes widened in surprised and then as the corners of her lips turned up slightly into the ghost of a smile. Her tiny body relaxed as she stared at the picture. Then looking up at him she carefully placed the picture on the desk and reached for a pen and a piece of paper. Pointing at Robin Shaw she looked up at him and then, holding the pen in her fist, she wrote out the word Mama Robin, in large gangly letters, misspelling Robin’s name, and pointing to her uncle she did the same thing, only writing Daddy Dan, spelling daddy with only two d’s. Then she pointed at herself in the image before poking herself in the chest. She was introducing him to her family the same way he did for her.

Breathing a sigh of relief he looked up just as Ellie returned and watched Allie pick up the picture and the names she wrote down and show it to his teammate. 

His computer let out with a reminder ping and facing the screen he realized that his trace for any information relating to the number had produced results. Results that meant that with one phone call the matter and all the accompanying paper work would soon be out of his hands. Reaching for his phone he quickly dialed a number and waited while it rang.

“Internal Investigations, this is Marissa Sanchez how may I help you?” the woman on the other end rattled off distractedly.

“Hey Marissa, this is Tim McGee with the MCRT,” he replied.

“Tim, what’s up?” She asked, suspicion lacing her voice.

He almost felt sorry for her, but then he remembered just how much paperwork was involved with internal affairs and that feeling quickly faded. “Looks like we’re going to need your help.”

* * *

Filling the coffee carafe with water from the sink, Ellie moved around Gibbs and listened as he told her about what they’d been able to discover after she’d left with Allie for the day. Gibbs had worked late on trying to locate Gregory Collins with the information they’d managed to gather that afternoon and was still dressed, minus his suit coat. As she made the coffee for the next morning, he was leaning back up against the counter a sandwich in one hand and a beer in the other. Ellie, who was already in her pajamas, tried to ignore the sensation caused by seeing him with the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up.

She had her weaknesses and that just happened to be one of them.

If only she’d gotten to see him do it.

Shaking her head she tried to concentrate on what he was saying as her mind recapped what they’d learned from Petty Officer Alyssa Mays, who was station at the Navy yard. Mays was an odd one, smart but at the same time not very bright and all it took was a little bit of flirting on Collins’ part to get her to do what he needed. First he got her to call CPS and find out if Allie was alright, but when she wasn’t able to obtain that information she focused her own flirting skills on a young agent within NCIS. 

Needless to say it was an internal affairs nightmare.

Professional misconduct of that level was officially a disaster for both Mays and NCIS Agent Mike Brown because not only did they divulge information about a murder case, but one that involved a child. Neither Vance, Marissa Sanchez, nor their SOs were pleased. And from what Gibbs had told her the six had spent the better part of the late afternoon and early evening hours in the director’s office. When Mays and Brown finally left they were both pale and hunched and neither said a word to anyone on their way out of the building.

But Mays did have a lot to say in exchange for saving herself from the threat of prison. 

According to the Petty Officer, Collins had told her to meet him at a bar thirty minutes from the yard and he’d taken her back to a local motel room after that. Once they’d gleaned that information from Mays, Tony and Tim were able to head out to the hotel where they learned that Collins had checked out the day before. But they knew he was still in the area thanks to a local homeless man who, in exchange for a twenty dollar bill, told them he’d seen Collins hanging around recently. Tony had given the man an extra twenty and his card and told him to call if he saw him again.

Gibbs just finished telling her that they’d also informed local cops in the area to keep an eye out for him when he circled back to Alyssa Mays. Draining the last of his beer he looked down at the bottle and shook his head.

“I still can’t understand why she did it,” Gibbs murmured.

Ellie shrugged her shoulders and said, “I think I can. She’s young, pretty and she had a handsome guy flirting with her. But then again she also seemed like she’s more susceptible to manipulation too,” Ellie added, considering the young woman in question. 

Yeah a guy could flirt with you but it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to do back-flips for him like Mays did.

“Handsome?” Gibbs asked with a note of surprise, latching onto that one part of her explanation.

“Yeah, objectively speak Gregory Collins is a handsome guy,” Ellie said as she searched for the package of fruit snacks she’d hidden in the cupboard. “You know, tall, dark, and handsome.”

“Well tall, dark, and handsome is the suspect in a murder,” Gibbs pointed out, surprising Ellie with the irritation in his voice.

“I said ‘objectively,’” Ellie tried to argue. “But with what I know about him I wouldn’t let him come near me, let alone flirt with me or ask me out on a date.”

Gibbs gave a grumble in response and made his way toward the basement leaving a baffled Ellie standing in the middle of the kitchen with Star Wars fruit snacks in her hand and another in her pocket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter seven will be posted next Friday, May 6, 2016 @ 6 PM EST.


	7. Teenage Dream

Petty Officer Alyssa Mays was going to prison and there was nothing she could do about it, not after allegedly contacting Gregory Collins to warn him that NCIS knew where he'd been staying. 

Because of her warning Collins had gone underground and any leads they had went cold for a week. 

A frustrating week of trying to track him down and going so far as to make a public appeal to Collins to turn himself in. He didn’t. Instead they were left hanging and none of them liked it. Tony had grown more serious as the week went on and Tim spent more time at the office than any of them were used to since he started dating Delilah. And Abby, Ducky, and Jimmy were anxious about the lack of progress on the case. Even director Vance expressed his concern, not as their superior but as a friend and a father. But it was Ellie and Gibbs who were affected the most.

While Allie had started to sleep through the night, thanks in part to McGee’s gift of the picture of her aunt and uncle, she still wasn’t talking and had fallen into a mild depression since attending their funeral. Gibbs was the one who had to go home to her every day and Ellie spent most of her days with the little girl and yet neither could offer her the closure she so desperately needed to move on. 

Gibbs had to fight every instinct to throw himself into the case, to stay night and day until it was solved and under any other circumstances that’s exactly what he would’ve done. But this case was different. 

Allie needed him.

And Ellie needed him.

So most days, with the exception of one or two here and there, Gibbs left the office at five to be home with them, giving Ellie a much needed break and Allie the reassurance she needed. 

And today wouldn’t be any different.

Even with the call that came in shortly before lunch.

Hanging up the phone he stood up and signaled for McGee and DiNozzo to grab their gear. Grim and silent he moved toward the elevator, knowing that his two senior agents were exchanging looks behind his back. Once the elevator doors had shut Gibbs explained that they had received a call about a body in an abandoned hotel that resembled Gregory Collins and they were going to go check it out.

Gibbs drove to the location alone, white knuckling it all the way there. 

Passing a solemn Jimmy, Gibbs entered the empty room and immediately spotted Gregory Collins, his dead weight leaning up against the wall behind him. Even with half of the man’s face covered in blood and grey matter Gibbs still recognized him. 

Catching Ducky’s eye, Gibbs made his way over the older man and squatted down next to him and their body. 

“Single gunshot wound the head,” the doctor said, pointing to the point of entry at the right temple. “I would say he shot himself somewhere between two and six this morning.”

“Self-inflicted?” Gibbs questioned, earning him a questioning look from Ducky.

“Yes,” he replied. The doctor thought that would’ve been obvious based on the location of the gunshot wound, the gun and the blood splatter on the man’s hand.

“But we won’t know anything for certain until we get him back,” Jimmy interjected having returned with the body bag he’d forgotten. 

Gibbs and Palmer shared a look and for once, in a very rare occurrence, they were both on the same page. Both had a nagging feeling about the scene. There was something off about it, but neither could put their finger on exactly what it was. 

Slightly offended, Ducky huffed in mild annoyance prompting an unnecessary apology from Jimmy as the younger ME moved to spread out the body bag. Gibbs stood and noticed that Ducky had done the same and Gibbs had known the man long enough to see that he wanted to say something and the pair moved toward the door.

Once they were far enough away from Palmer, Ducky quietly said, “You’ve been avoiding me Jethro.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about Duck,” Gibbs replied, all the while knowing what he was referring to. 

The other man was about to say something more but the pair were, thankfully, interrupted by McGee. Ducky shot him a look, letting him know that he wasn’t about to let the matter go before returning to Palmer’s side next to the body.

“What have we got?” Gibbs asked, turning his attention to McGee and moving out into the hallway.

Flipping open his note pad he said, “A homeless couple found him this morning. They’ve been squatting in one of the rooms for the past month.”

“Did they hear anything?” 

McGee nodded his head. “Apparently they heard gunshots but they couldn’t give us an approximate time outside of the fact that it was still dark out. But they didn’t come to investigate until this morning. They didn’t want to get involved.”

Gibbs could understand that and their hesitancy to get involved. “Did they see anyone?”

“No,” McGee replied with a confused shake of his head. “They know that there are a few other homeless people staying here but couldn’t offer any more information than that. They did offer to talk to them, try and get them to talk to us, but honestly I’m not holding out any hope.” McGee then paused thoughtfully before asking, “Why do you ask if they saw anyone? I thought he killed himself?”

“No reason,” Gibbs replied, evading the question and watching as the paramedics and Palmer loaded Collins’ body onto a wheeled gurney. 

Turning away from McGee he took out his phoned and flipping it open he selected Ellie’s number from the menu but hesitated to press ‘talk.’ 

He thought he would feel a sense of closure, but instead he only felt as though he had failed. Not only did Allie lose her mother, and the two people who had been raising her as their own, but now she’d lost her father as well. 

How were they going to break the news to her?

* * *

Late. 

She was so very late.

Pressing her foot down a little harder on the gas pedal, Ellie pushed the speed limit a little further in an attempt to get home as quickly as possible. She’d had a meeting with Jake and their lawyers and a court appointed mediator that had gone much longer than she’d been expecting. Jake had pushed hard for her cats, especially after he learned she was staying with Gibbs, but ultimately the mediator and Jake’s own lawyer had suggested that he give it up in exchange for their apartment. 

Ellie had tried to talk to Jake but he insisted that everything had to be done through their lawyers, which had hurt her deeply and made her extremely angry. When and why had it come to this? She wondered. She thought about making one more attempt to talk to him after the meeting was over but once she realized what time it was she left without even saying goodbye.

That afternoon she was supposed to take Emily Fornell out shopping for a dress and she knew that the girl would be waiting for her along with Kayla Vance.

Ellie had left for her meeting shortly after lunch when Director Vance and his daughter had arrived. They’d agreed to stay with Allie while she was gone and Gibbs was at work, it also allowed Kayla to tag along later with Ellie and Emily. 

The request to come along with them had been a bit of a surprise and had actually come through Emily and while Ellie agreed, she also contacted the director to get his permission. Vance didn’t seem surprised by the news, leading her to think that Kayla had already asked permission, and he readily agreed to the outing. 

An outing she wasn’t sure she should be going on in the first place. She and Gibbs had yet to tell Allie that her father was dead, but Gibbs had insisted that it could wait and she agreed with him. They also agreed that Ellie would discuss the matter with Dr. Bryson the next day at Allison’s appointment. Both were hoping the doctor would be able to offer them advice on how to deliver the bad news. 

Pulling into the driveway, Ellie quickly unbuckled her seat belt and hurried inside. Catching sight of Allie, Emily, and Kayla in the living room she stopped and holding onto the banister she pulled off the shoes she’d worn to the meeting.

“I just need a minute,” she said as she ran up the stairs to change out of her suit and into something a little more appropriate. 

Changing quickly, she rushed down the stairs to find both girls ready and waiting to leave, purses slung over their shoulders, and Gibbs standing next to them holding Allie in his arms. Plopping down on the bottom, she pulled on a pair of Toms and grabbed her purse.

Stopping she told Allie that she would be gone, but that she would be back to put her to bed and while the little girl was nodding her head, Ellie placed a kiss on the little girl’s cheek. Then she did something that surprised them all. Without thinking about it she kissed Gibbs on his jaw, right smack dab at the corner of his mouth. Not stopping to see his reaction, red faced she turned around and grabbing the girl’s by their shoulders she spun them around and out the door. 

“Bye Allie, bye Agent Gibbs,” they shouted over their shoulders. 

But neither received a reply from the man and sharing a look they obediently followed Ellie to her truck.

Both girls seemed to sense that she wasn’t about to broach the kiss with them and instead kept up a steady flow of conversation between them, while Ellie sat agonizing over her faux pas the entire trip. Thankfully it didn’t take them long before they arrived at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City and soon enough she and Kayla were sitting outside a dressing room in Nordstrom’s as Emily tried on dresses. 

The older woman could tell Kayla had something on her mind, the way she was fidgeting and picking at her shirt, pulling off imaginary fuzz. She was working herself up toward something so Ellie was content to leave her alone. But Emily was another story.

Exiting the dressing room she modeled a two piece ball gown in a deep teal color that showed off her midriff that had Ellie shaking her head no almost immediately but Kayla seemed to think it was alright.

“What do you think?” Emily asked, doing a little spin. Seeing their mixed reactions she shook her head and headed back behind the curtain but not before telling the other girl to “get on with it. We don’t have all night!”

While Kayla groaned in annoyance, Ellie turned to look at her and asked, “What is she talking about?”

“This isn’t exactly the place I imagined doing this,” Kayla mumbled, looking around her.

“Doing what?” Ellie asked, then a thought occurred to her and she blurted out in a semi hushed tone, “You’re not pregnant are you?”

“What! No,” Kayla exclaimed, her eyes wide in horror. “God no, definitely not, no. No, I’m gay not pregnant!”

“Oh, thank god!” Ellie breathed out with a sigh of relief. “I thought you were going to tell me that you were pregnant and that you didn’t know how to tell your dad and you wanted me to do it for you.” Letting out with a slightly hysterical laugh Ellie did her best to get rid of the image that popped into her head, of being there with Kayla while the director completely lost his mind. Relaxing Ellie asked the girl what it was that she wanted to tell her.

“That I’m gay,” Kayla repeated taking in Ellie’s blank look just as Emily exited the dressing room again.

“See I told you, it’s not a big deal,” she said before asking what they thought of the bright red floor length dress she was wearing.

“It’s not a big deal, because I’m seventeen and she thought I was pregnant,” Kayla argued. “And no, that dress is awful.”

“Mean,” Emily pouted but knew she was right and turned back into the dressing room.

Catching up with the rapid pace of the conversation Ellie shook her head and focused her attention on Kayla. “You’re gay and I think I’m the first adult you’ve told about this, am I right?”

Kayla nodded her head and nervously twisted her hands. 

“Why me?” Ellie asked, confused as to why the teen would tell her before her dad or any other adult in her life.

“Because, you work with my dad. You know him,” Kayla said. “And I can trust you not to tell him.”

Cocking her head to the side Ellie looked at her in genuine surprise and asked, “Kayla are you afraid to tell your dad?”

The young woman sighed. “There’s this girl, her name is Jemma and we’ve been going out for awhile. She’s in my year. She’s the reason why I’m coming out,” Kayla admitted shyly, earning her a gentle nudge from Ellie. Smiling reluctantly Kayla continued to open up to Ellie. “Anyway, she came out to her parents last summer, they’re super religious and they weren’t happy. They actually kicked her out,” Kayla admitted sadly. “Luckily she has a great older brother who took her in and told their parents off. But it freaked me out. I love my dad and I love my little brother and I don’t want to lose them.”

Pulling Kayla into a hug Ellie held her tightly for a minute before pulling back and looking her right in the eye. “You won’t lose your dad. He-Director Vance-Leon loves you and your brother more than anything in this world. I know that much,” she said, making sure that Kayla was hearing her. And judging by the tears in her eyes she was sure she did. “Your dad won’t kick you out and he won’t love you any less. You have nothing to be afraid of. Yes, he might freak out,” Ellie told her. “But any parent, whether their kid is straight or gay will freak out because you’re bring something up that’s related to sex.”

Kayla laughed at that and brushed the tears from her eyes. Ellie smiled too before continuing. “Can I tell you something?” When Kayla nodded she said, “I’m bisexual. I’m more attracted to men than women, but it doesn’t change that fact. I came out to my small town, Bible Belt parents when I was eighteen, just a year older than you. And I can’t say that they weren’t confused but they loved me all the same and I know your dad will too. I’m sorry about what happened to Jemma, but it won’t happen to you.”

Sniffling, Kayla embraced Ellie once more whispering, “I just wish my mom was here.”

“I know, I know,” Ellie murmured back. “But you have me,” she reassured her. “I promise. And in the off chance if your dad isn’t who I know him to be, just remember that I have your back and Jethro will too.”

Sensing an opening for a change of subject Kayla latched onto it and wiping the last of the tears from her eyes she smiled conspiratorially at Emily who was standing in the doorway watching them she said, “Speaking of _Jethro_ …”

“Yeah, speaking of _Jethro_ ,” Emily said, mimicking Kayla.

Turning to face Emily her smile faded and she stood up, “No! Absolutely not! Your dad would kill me if I let you buy that! And your dad is an FBI agent, he could hide my body and not even Gibbs would be able to find it.”

Emily and Kayla laughed at the protest. 

“Oh, we’re back to _Gibbs_ now are we?” Kayla said, raising an eyebrow.

Hands on her hips she glared at the two girls and said, “I’m not discussing this with either of you.”

“Are you two together?” Emily asked from behind the closing curtain. 

Even though Ellie had only spent a brief amount of time around Diane she knew that Emily had definitely inherited the woman’s dogged persistence. 

“No we are not together,” Ellie said. 

“That’s too bad, you two would make a cute couple,” Kayla told her.

“You think?” She asked, then shaking her head she said, “No! This is not appropriate. At all.”

“Just so you know, my dad and Kay’s dad are about the same age as Gibbs and I’d be totally okay if you wanted to date my dad,” Emily admitted.

“Honestly, so would I,” Kayla added.

“That’s…nice? But this is not a conversation I’m going to have with either of you. It’s done,” Ellie said, putting her foot down on the matter just as Emily was coming out of the dressing room for the final time.

Emily was wearing a strapless navy blue full length dress with a sweetheart neckline and upon seeing the girl Ellie smiled gently and drifted toward her. Holding the girl’s hair up she looked at her and said, “Perfect.”

And smiling broadly with a light sheen of tears in her eyes Emily embraced Ellie tightly. “Thank you. But please, don’t look at the price tag.”

* * *

Vaguely Gibbs was aware of Allie waving goodbye to Ellie, Kayla, and Emily but soon he realized that she was no longer waving at them, but rather waving her hand in front of his face. Blinking Gibbs looked at her and noted the quizzical look on her face. 

She was wearing the mini-NCIS jacket that Tony had given her a little over a week ago. It had become a staple of her daily wardrobe, day and night, and Gibbs knew that tucked into the little pocket was a copy of the picture that McGee had printed out for her. The original sat in a frame on a table next to her bed, where she could see it every night before she went to bed and every morning when she woke up. It appeared to be helping. 

Today was the first day Allie had been left with someone other than Gibbs or Bishop and yet when he came home a little after five that afternoon, she was fine. A little sad to see Vance go, but still fine. Gibbs assumed that a big part of the reason stemmed from Kayla, and later Emily. The two girls were slightly closer in age to Allie’s five years and, unlike Ellie, she viewed them as potential playmates. Luckily both girls were more than happy to oblige. Even though Emily was a sophomore and Kayla was looking to attend college next year they still sat on the floor playing with dolls, trying their best to get Allie to smile. And watching them there were a few times when Gibbs could have sworn that he saw the same ghost of a smile that McGee had witnessed. 

It would happen, one day. They just had to be patient with her.

Giving Allie a half-smile, Gibbs asked, “What do you wanna do tonight?”

Allie’s mouth twisted thoughtfully as she considered the question, but she eventually gave a small shrug, letting him know that she was going to leave it up to him. 

“How do you feel about boats?” He asked. 

A blatantly curious look crossed her face and nodding his head, Gibbs carried her down to the basement, setting her down on the last step and watching as she looked at the boat. Cocking her head to the side she slowly made her way up to hull, walking around it carefully examining every inch of it. She made two rotations before finally coming back up to him, her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. Pointing at the boat she then pointed up past him at the stairs.

“You’re wondering how I’ll get it out of here.” Gibbs asked for confirmation and Allie nodded. Chuckling quietly Gibbs knelt down to her level and said, “That’s a secret.”

Patting her on the shoulder he stood up again and moved to where his tools were spread out. Behind him Allie stood with her arms crossed, the look on her face telling him that she was clearly not pleased with his answer. Huffing in disappointment Allie reluctantly made her way over to his side and she watched him carefully as he started to work and knowing that he had her attention he began explaining what he was doing and he showed her a picture of what it was supposed to look like when it was done. 

“Do you wanna help?” Gibbs asked. Allie stopped to think about her answer and surprised him when she finally nodded her head. 

One thing that he’d learned about Allie was that she wasn’t too keen on getting dirty and building a boat could be messy work, especially when sanding was involved. And that was about all he was going to let her do. Demonstrating how she should use the small scrap of sand paper he stepped back and watched her work. It was slow going, but she was cautious and meticulous about what she was doing, testing the smoothness every once in a while. 

Turning back to the boat plans Gibbs tried to ignore the sensitive spot on his jaw where Bishop had kissed him right before she left. But it was hard when his hand kept drifting to that spot, reminding him of the feeling of her lips on his skin. His fingers lingered for a moment, brushing lightly against the stubble that had formed over the day, recalling the sudden burst of warmth that had spread from the corner of his mouth. 

Closing his eyes he replayed the moment filling in all of the details, from the slight pressure of her hand as it rested on his bicep and the proximity of her body to his when she was talking to Allie to the way her eyes widened slightly in surprise when she realized what she’d done. In his mind he tried to imagine how she would’ve reacted if he’d turned his head even just a little, but quickly realized that was a bad idea.

It had all been brief but it affected him in a way he wasn’t expecting. 

Or at least that was what he tried telling himself.

Rubbing his jaw hard, he tried to erase the memory, telling himself that he was reading too much into the moment, but he knew it wasn’t going anywhere and instead focused on the boat. But when that didn’t work he pushed away from the workbench turned his attention to Allie. 

She was concentrating on sanding the boat’s surface, holding the paper square between her fingers careful not to get them too dirty. It made him smile, but that smile faded the longer he watched her and as he remembered finding her father’s body that morning. 

Gibbs had wanted to bring the man in alive and for him to turn up dead had been a blow. Mostly because of what it meant for Allie. With the exception of her father’s sister and Daniel Kedzierski’s uncle most of Allie’s family was dead. Even if her father had been convicted and sent to prison, Allie would’ve had the slight comfort of knowing that he was still in the world. And that was only if her father had been guilty and Gibbs still had his doubts.

It was those doubts that only added to his feelings of guilt when it came to Allie and Collins’ death. If he had only gotten to the man sooner…Shaking his head he tried to rid himself of the “maybes” and the “what ifs.” He couldn’t change the fact that Collins was dead, but he could make sure that Allie knew that no matter what happened, she wasn’t alone in this world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a lot of head canons for Ellie, mostly because I feel like we know very little about her, but in some she's straight, in others she bisexual and I decided to include the latter in this fic. 
> 
> Also, this weeks episode of NCIS was a roller coaster ride, from First Lady Michelle Obama's epic performance to the bombshell at the end. No spoilers but you know who better be okay!
> 
> Anyway, chapter eight will be posted next Friday, May 13, 2016 @ 6PM EST.


	8. Dinglehopper

“Autopsy’s done,” Gibbs announced to McGee after hanging up his phone. Standing he glanced at the younger agent who was looking up at him confused. Gibbs inclined his head toward the elevator and said, “Let’s go. Ducky and Palmer want to see both of us.”

“Both of us?” McGee repeated for confirmation and Gibbs nodded his head.

Not waiting to see if the younger man was following him Gibbs started to make his way to the elevator and getting inside he pressed the right floor button. He watched as McGee slipped through the closing doors just on time and the pair made their way down.

“Why do they want to see both of us?” McGee wondered aloud after a moment. “You don’t think they found anything, I mean it was open and shut. Right?”

“Don’t know,” Gibbs replied, just as the doors were opening again. 

Striding out of the elevator, McGee in tow, he entered the morgue and found Ducky and Palmer standing next to Gregory Collins’ body. Both men looked up as they entered and Gibbs could tell by the look on Ducky’s face that the doc was not too happy with what they’d discovered. And the look Palmer directed at him confirmed his suspicions. 

“What’cha got Duck?” Gibbs asked.

“Not what I have but rather what Mr. Palmer has discovered, he will be taking the lead on this,” Ducky replied, standing aside and letting his surprised assistant take over.  
Jimmy stood flustered for a moment until he noticed the impatient look on Gibbs’ face. Shaking his head he was about to speak, but Gibbs beat him to the punch and said, “He didn’t kill himself did he.”

Jimmy shook his head and said, “No, I don’t think so. But we were meant to think that he did. We found all the right things; there was GSR on his hand along with the blood splatter and grey matter, but they were inconsistent,” Jimmy informed them. Picking up a file from the table he flipped it open and handed it to McGee who knew that he was looking at blood-alcohol levels. “There’s also the fact that Collins would’ve been way too drunk to even hold a gun, let alone shoot himself.”

“There’s more,” Ducky added after the two agents had a moment to digest what they’d heard.

The younger ME nodded and moved around the table to where Gibbs and McGee stood he lifted Collins’ left hand and turning it over he continued. “Collins was shot in his right temple, meaning that he would’ve had to have shot himself with his right hand,” Jimmy said. “But he has well developed calluses on his left hand meaning that he was predominately left handed.”

McGee shook his head almost immediately and interrupted the other man very quickly. “I’m left handed too but living in a world made for right handed people I know that you have to develop a learned ambidexterity.”

“True,” Jimmy relented, “but if you were going to kill yourself would you really use your non-dominant hand for your final act?”

“No,” Tim relented grimly with a shake of his head. Then, looking down at the body he voiced the question on all of their minds. “If Collins didn’t kill himself, then who did?”

Ducky and Palmer remained quiet but Gibbs replied, “I don’t know yet, but whoever killed him wanted to make us think it was over.” Pausing for a moment he looked at McGee and asked, “Where’s Tony?” 

“He got a call from the woman who was squatting at the hotel with her boyfriend,” McGee informed him. “They said that one of the other squatters had seen something and they were trying to get him to talk.”

“Call him,” Gibbs ordered. “Allie has an appointment with the doc at the hospital today and I wanna make sure she’s well protected. And find out if the squatter had anything to offer. We’ve got three murders on our hands now but no suspects or leads.”

“Not entirely,” Ducky interrupted. Pointing to the victim the older doctor informed them that he and Palmer were able to pull a tiny amount of DNA from beneath the victim’s fingernails that they weren’t able to identify. 

“I was just about to run it to Abby,” Jimmy said. 

“Then do it,” Gibbs told him, watching as the younger man picked up the sample and headed out of the morgue with Tim on his heels. Once the door had closed on the two men Gibbs made to follow but was stopped by Ducky.

“Jethro,” Ducky called out, watching as the agent turned around and looked at him expectantly. 

“You got something else, Duck?” Gibbs asked.

Ignoring the other man’s attempt to sidestep him, Ducky looked at him pointedly and said, “You’ve been avoiding me Jethro.”

“Been busy,” Gibbs replied stoically.

“Not that busy,” Ducky pointed out and they both knew he was right. If Gibbs could leave at five almost every day and take the weekend off then he had enough time to have a chat with Ducky. 

Sighing in mild irritation Gibbs fixed Ducky with a stare and said, “Look, Duck if you’ve got something to say, then say it. But I’ve got three murders to solve so make it quick.”

Ducky remained silent for a moment, but didn’t back down. “Eleanor and Allie.”

“What about ‘em?” Gibbs asked, his words clipped and cold.

“I’m concerned,” Ducky started carefully. “I’m concerned that you may start to view them as replacement for Shannon and Kelly,” he told him, watching as the taller man grew rigid and his fist clenched. 

Bracing his hands on an empty slab, Gibbs shook his head. Looking up he said, “You couldn’t be more wrong Duck.” Narrowing his eyes Ducky gazed at him expectantly, waiting for an explanation and pushing away from the slab Gibbs said, “I’m reminded every day that Allie isn’t Kelly when I go home and Allie’s wearing the same clothes she picked out that morning. At that age Kelly would get so dirty playing that she’d have to change at least once before dinner. Allie’s dolls, dresses, drawing and books. Kelly,” Gibbs paused when he said her name, letting out with a shaky breath before continuing. “Kelly was the outside, she was picking flowers, running, climbing. The two are night and day."

“And Eleanor?” Ducky asked.

Gibbs fell into silence as he thought about his answer. While they may have hand their similarities especially when it came to being mothers ultimately, just like Kelly and Allie, Shannon and Ellie are also opposites. 

“Whenever Shannon cooked, she…she would experiment, try a little bit of this, a little bit of that. Sometimes it would turn out, but when it didn’t she’d shrug and say ‘we eat our mistakes.’ Ellie,” Gibbs started to say then paused. A thoughtful look crossing his face before he finally resumed his explanation. “Ellie,” he started again, saying the agent’s name with purpose. “She’s analytical, she follows the directions, measures everything out, and _if_ it doesn’t turn out she throws it in the trash and calls for take out,” Gibbs said with a chuckle. Sobering he continued, “When I’m home, in the basement and I hear them moving around, I can’t pretend that it’s Shannon and Kelly up there. I know it’s Ellie and Allie.”

“And that’s what bothers you the most, isn’t it?” Ducky asked, but he didn’t get a reply. 

Gibbs wasn’t about to try and explain that it was the fact that it _didn’t_ bother him that actually disturbed him the most. Because if he did he would be revealing much more than he wanted to. To either Ducky or himself.

“I’m sorry Jethro, I only bring this up because I care about you. And Eleanor. And I’ve grown to care a great deal about Allison,” Ducky admitted. “I don’t want to see any of you hurt.”

* * *

“Boss,” McGee said once he saw Gibbs rounding the corner of the bullpen. “I’ve got Bish on video chat and Tony’s on the phone. I’ve filled them in on the autopsy results.”

Glancing at the screen Gibbs spotted Ellie sitting on the floor in front of the couch and Allie’s legs moving behind her. She was wearing a set of ear buds and Gibbs knew that anything she might say would probably be said in code to keep the little girl behind her from knowing what she was talking about. 

“Sitrep.”

Tony spoke up first, “I talked to the squatter he said he did see someone leave from the window in his room shortly after Collins was shot. He didn’t get a good look at the guy, and he’s certain it was a guy, but eventually he was able to confirm that he was driving a newer light colored Mercedes-Benz.”

“Did he get a plate number?” McGee asked.

“Nope, too dark,” Tony replied.

“What do we know about Shaw and Kedzierski?” Gibbs asked.

“I ran a check on their financials early on and both came up clean,” Bishop reported. “And neither had any prior records…”

“Or enemies according to their close friends,” Tony added. “They were pretty quiet people from what the neighbors had to say and both of them were well liked at work.”

“Work, let’s focus on that,” Gibbs ordered. “What do we know about their jobs? Was Shaw working on anything that was classified? Anything that might have put her in danger?”

“Not according to her CO,” Tim told him. “Shaw worked in the PR department handling high profile publicity events and she was due to retire in June so she was mostly working on wrapping up old projects.”

“What about her husband?” Gibbs asked.

“Kedzierski was CTO of AirX,” McGee reminded him. “I got the impression that he may have worked on some classified or at the very least sensitive projects. The human resources person that I spoke to told me that they either can’t or won’t share any information. Not unless it’s need to know.”

“Well, it’s need to know,” Gibbs replied. “Find out everything you can about AirX and the projects Kedzierski was working on, revisit the friends and neighbors and find out anything and everything there is to know about Shaw and Kedzierski.” Then after a moment he asked, “What about the uncle?”

“Franklin Kedzierski?” Tony asked. 

“Yeah, what do we know about him?”

“Lucky guy lives in the French Polynesia,” Tony informed them. “Never married, no kids, worked for the IRS for 30 years before retiring, and only met his nephew once, when Daniel was nine. They didn’t have a close relationship, but I got the impression he was pretty upset to hear what had happened.”

“Not upset enough to come back for the funerals,” Gibbs murmured to himself. McGee, who was the only one who could hear him, raised an eyebrow and Gibbs shook his head letting him know he should let it go. “Alright, we focused too much on Gregory Collins so let’s get broad now; I wanna know everything about these people, Shaw, Kedzierski, Collins. All of them. Let’s end this case.”

* * *

“Can I get one of those too,” Tony asked after he watched Ellie hand Allie a cereal bar once she’d opened it. Out of the corner of his eye he watched her look down at the two remaining packages and sighing reluctantly she agreed and asked him which one. “The one with the chocolate chips,” he said. “And can you open for me.”

“Seriously! Not only are you taking the food right out of my mouth but you want me to open it for you too,” Ellie said. 

Tony flashed a grin at her and said, “Please. I’m driving after all.”

“Fine, but just so you know I’m starving here,” Ellie said, opening the package before holding it out to him.

“Oh please,” Tony said glancing purposefully at her ever growing purse. “I happen to know you have at least two packages of trail mix in there, a bag of apple slices, one clementine orange, carrots, six packs of different fruit snacks, and a muffin. And don’t try and say that’s it’s all for Allie, cause she can’t eat all of that, can you Alliecat?”

Looking into the rearview mirror he watched Allie shake her head and look at Ellie. The agent looked back at the little girl and grinning she mouthed the word ‘traitor’ before turning once again to face Tony and said, “just so you know I ate the muffin and the clementine an hour ago.”

“When?” Tony asked, trying to figure out when she would’ve had time to not just eat a muffin but peal and eat the fruit.

“When you went to the bathroom,” she admitted.

Glancing again into the rearview mirror he looked to Allie for confirmation and when he saw her nod he looked back at Bishop in shock. “I was gone for like a minute!”

“I know,” she replied and then the two agents broke out into laughter. In the backseat, Allie sat shaking her head, a small smile playing hesitantly with the corners of her mouth. 

Making his way through the downtown streets Tony and Ellie kept a keen eye on their surroundings. Even as they kept up a teasing conversation between themselves they’d been in full agent mode ever since learning the results of the autopsy.

By the time Tony arrived that afternoon for Allie’s appointment Ellie was ready to go. They took an extremely roundabout way to the hospital, going south and by passing the White House down Constitution Ave and back north past the Kennedy Center. Once they reached the hospital they both took extra precautions to ensure that they could leave as quickly as possible if necessary all the while making it appear as though they were completely relaxed for Allie’s sake.

No one wanted to worry the girl unnecessarily and thankfully their light banter was keeping her from noticing their extreme alertness. 

It was that alertness that had Tony keeping one eye on the road ahead of him and one on the rearview mirror. Each time he’d glanced back at Allie he’d noticed a black Dodge Charger following behind them, keeping up with them from a distance even as Tony made a series of unexpected turns finally ending up on a one ways street. He knew that Bishop must have noticed what he was doing because even though she was carrying on a one sided conversation with Allie about dinner she was also busy texting on her phone. 

Looking in the mirror one more time he noticed that the Charger was busy waiting to turn down another street. Catching Bishop’s attention he gave her a small shake of his head and she responded with a slight nod, slipping her phone back into her pocket after sending and receiving one more text.

Turning down another, less busy one way street Tony’s agent senses suddenly went on alert, right before the same black Charger drove out of an alleyway and straight into the tail end of his government issued SUV.

The car careened hard to the right, hurtling toward the sidewalk filled with pedestrians. Tony felt his body swerve with the vehicle and heard the distinct sound of Ellie’s head as it connected with the glass of the passenger window. Allie gave a soft surprised cry from the back seat that was quickly drowned out by the sound of car horns honking and people screaming. Trying to regain control of the vehicle he managed to bring it to a stop right before it connected with the side of a building. 

Unbuckling his seat belt he moved to check on Ellie, who was slumped over in her seat, but before he could reach her the man in the black Charger exited the vehicle and started firing a gun at them. Knowing that the car was bullet proof he quickly reached for his own weapon and leaving the relative safety of the SUV he immediately returned fire. The two men continued exchanging bullets as the pedestrians on the sidewalk ran for cover. Hiding behind the car Tony quickly reloaded the clip in his gun. 

Taking aim he managed to finally hit the unknown man in the shoulder. Watching as the other man retreated back into the car Tony advanced still firing his weapon. But he had to watch as the car quickly reversed and retreated down the street. 

Running back to the car he opened the passenger side door and carefully kept Ellie in an upright position. Given the proximity to the White House the crash and the gunfire were enough to draw the police to their position within minutes of the initial crash and Tony could already hear the sound of sirens coming closer.

Noting the heavy stream of blood flowing from his partner’s head Tony reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. It did nothing to stem the flow of blood that quickly seeped through the thin fabric and into the palm of his hand and yanking off his suit coat he pressed it to her head.

Focused on Ellie’s injuries it took him a moment to remember Allie but once he did he realized that she was struggling desperately to get out of her booster seat.

“Please don’t go, please don’t go, please don’t die,” she was repeating over and over again.

“Allie, Allie, I need you to calm down,” Tony said to her, trying to keep his voice level but watching the little girl panicking in earnest he knew he had to do something more. However hearing the first responders finally arrive he knew it would have to wait.

Pulling out his badge with his left hand he held it up for the cops to see and told them Ellie needed help and moved out of their way as one of the cop’s initiated first aid in preparation for the paramedics. Wiping as much of Ellie’s blood off of his hands as possible he moved to the backseat where Allie’s attention was focused solely on Ellie, repeating her plea to not die.

In the tight confines of the backseat Tony maneuvered himself into her line of sight, blocking her view of Ellie. Gently taking her head between his hands he forced her to look at him and as soon as her eyes met his he understood what Bishop meant when she explained the look in Allie’s eye when she first saw her. Smoothing back her hair he spoke to her in low and calm but firm tones. 

“Allie, you need to calm down, okay. If you don’t you might hurt yourself,” he told her. 

Mentally Tony was running through a check list of injuries the child might have sustained but he couldn’t tell anything just by looking at her. He knew she needed to remain still until a paramedic could check her over, something that he didn’t need to wait long for as a medic knocked on the car window.

Signaling that he needed a minute to get her to relax the paramedic nodded his head and waited patiently as Tony talked to her. “Ellie is going to be alight I promise.”

“But she’s not waking up, mommy Robin didn’t wake up,” Allie cried out straining to see around Tony. “Why isn’t she waking up?”

“Allie, look at me,” Tony said, focusing her attention on him. “I promise she’s going to be okay. Pinky swear,” he added, holding up his pinky finger for her to wrap her own around.

Knowing that he’d pinky sworn to showing her MTAC, even though he technically wasn’t supposed to, but that he’d kept his promise the act meant something to Allie and she knew it. Still shaking but a little calmer she hesitantly wrapped her little finger around his own.

“I promise,” he repeated, letting the paramedic know they were ready for him.

The door swung open, startling Allie but the smile on the paramedics face was friendly and reassuring and he immediately went to work putting the girl at ease. 

Turning around Tony watched worriedly as they loaded Bishop, now with a precautionary neck brace, onto a gurney. He let out with an audible sigh of relief when he heard a slight pained groan come from the woman and watched as the paramedics near her started communicating with her. 

“Sir?”

Realizing that the paramedic tending to Allie was asking him a question he turned back. “Yeah, sorry what did you say?”

“I asked if you’re alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. No worse for wear,” he managed to get out just before another medic stuck her head in and said that Ellie was asking after Allie and him. She wanted to know if they were okay. Turning back to the man he asked if Allie could be moved and once he’d received the okay he unbuckled the little girl and warning her to move slowly exited the vehicle with her.

Carrying her over to the ambulance where they were loading Bishop into the back and holding her up so Ellie could see her he watched as tears of relief fell down the agents face. The moment was brief as the paramedics finished loading Ellie up. Just as they were about ready to leave the medic who tended to Allie came up behind them.

“You guys need a lift?” He asked looking pointedly at Allie and when Tony nodded he said, “Hop in, there’s plenty of room.”

Climbing into the back with Ellie Tony was allowed to sit with Allie up next to Bishop’s head. Something both Allie and Ellie were grateful for. Ellie managed a small smile and reached a hand up to Allie who grasped it in her own, her small body relaxing at the touch. 

“I’m okay,” Ellie managed to get out with the brace around her neck. 

Allie nodded and swallowing hard she replied, “I didn’t want you to die.”

Hearing the little girl’s voice for the first time a fresh set of tears sprang to her eyes and smiling in earnest she said, “I’m not going to die. I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise that Allie will not endure any further horrible traumas after this chapter. I swear!
> 
> Chapter nine will be posted next Friday, May 20, 2016 @ 6 PM EST.


	9. Not Again

As soon as Gibbs appeared around the corner Allie was off at a run toward him. Kneeling down he opened his arms to her, letting her collide with him full force. Hugging her tightly for a moment he pulled back and looked her over. She was pale and clearly still frightened but it didn’t look like she’s been badly injured.

“Is she alight?” Gibbs posed the question to the room not caring who answered him.

Tony who was standing with Dr. Bryson and the social worker, Anne Larsen, replied first. “Allie's fine, she has a couple of bruises on her shoulder, but nothing that won’t heal quickly.”

Tugging on his arm to get his attention Allie then said, “Ellie was hurt really bad.”

Two things crossed his mind in that moment. First, was that Allie had spoken. Brushing a hand over her forehead he looked at her in awe before once again pulling her into a hug. Looking up he caught DiNozzo’s eye and he mouthed the words ‘she talked.’ Tony nodded and gave him a small smile. But any relief he might have felt quickly disappeared when the second thing crosses his mind.

Ellie.

Lifting Allie into his arms he asked them, “How’s Ellie.”

No one could miss the fear and trepidation in his question and they all worked to reassure him that she was going to be fine, that she’d given Tony and Allie quite a scare but that was all.

“Where is she?” was his next question.

“They’ve taken her up for an MRI and a CT scan, but they’re not worried,” Dr. Bryson informed him, however she could tell that it did nothing to put him at ease. 

Taking a seat in one of the chairs Gibbs held Allie tightly. It had taken him close to an hour to get to George Washington University Hospital. A crash and a shooting occurring that close to the White House made travel through the city nearly impossible and brought traffic to a crawl as police searched for the shooter. 

When he’d gotten the call from Tony he’d barely been able to hear him through the blood pounding in his ears. The words crash, Allie was fine, but that Ellie had hit her head and that she’d been bleeding made it through. Tightly wound Gibbs had kept an iron grip on the steering wheel as he’d made his way through traffic, his mind jumping from Ellie to Allie, to the crash, to Shannon and Kelly and the crash that had killed them, to Ellie and back to his conversation with Ducky, and back to Ellie and Allie before Kate briefly flashed through his mind, but always coming back to Ellie. 

_Not again_ had been his mantra the entire trip to the hospital. 

Not after Shannon or Kelly. Not after Kate. He’d lost too many people already, he couldn’t do it again. Not like this.

A commotion brought his attention back to the waiting room and looking up he noticed that McGee, Abby, and Ducky had finally arrived. Tony got to them first and filled them in just before Ellie’s doctor made an appearance.

“Agent Jethro Gibbs?” He asked, looking to each of the men until Gibbs stood up. 

Setting Allie down, but holding onto her hand both for her comfort and his own, Gibbs made his way up to the doctor and shook his hand. He wanted to say something, anything, but his brain and his mouth wouldn’t cooperate. Instead he remained silent waiting for the doctor to tell them how Ellie was doing.

Unnerved by the other man’s silence the doctor looked to the other adults gathered in the waiting room and to the little girl, but none of them seemed to think it was out of the ordinary. Clearing his throat he said, “Well, um, Agent Bishop gave me permission to inform you, all of you of her condition. We took her down for an MRI and CT scan which revealed that she does have a concussion, but luckily we’re not seeing any other evidence of traumatic brain injury.”

“No signs of an epidural hematoma,” Ducky asked, interrupting the other doctor mid-sentence. 

“No, no initial signs, however given the severity of the concussion we are going to err on the side of caution and keep her overnight. We want to make sure there is no bleeding in the dura matter, or the intracranial space,” the doctor explained for the benefit of the non-medical personnel in the room. “But neither the MRI nor the CT scan gave us any cause for worry,” he reassured them. “We’ve stitched up the laceration on Agent Bishop’s forehead and given her something to help with her headache but beside some bumps and bruises, she should be fine with rest.”

“Can we see her?” Allie asked very quietly. 

Smiling down at her the doctor replied, “Yes you can, but no yelling or shouting, no jumping on the bed, okay. ”

Allie nodded but had a frustrated look on her face that the doctor interpreted as worry for Ellie, unaware that she was more bothered by him telling her what she already knew. She wasn’t a dummy. Not knowing this, however, the doctor said, “don’t worry your mommy is going to be just fine.”

The doctor left seconds later to answer a call and Allie looked up at Gibbs with confusion written on her face. “Why did he say that Ellie was my mommy?”

Behind him Gibbs could hear Abby’s soft squeal of excitement when she heard Allie talk and shaking his head Gibbs concentrated on Allie and replied, “He’s a little confused, just ignore him.”

Allie nodded and looking in the direction that he came from she asked, “Can we go see her now?”

“Yeah,” Gibbs replied. 

Leading the way, Gibbs and Allie were followed closely by the rest of the team as well as Dr. Bryson and Anne Larsen. Reaching her room Gibbs looked in through the doorway and caught sight of Ellie. Propped up with a stack of pillows she was pale and her eyes were shut tightly, the cut and bruise on her forehead stood out in stark contrast. But she was alive.

_Not again._

Breathing a sigh of relief he felt Allie let go of his hand as she moved to Ellie side. The little girl tried to be as quiet as possible, but Ellie was a trained federal agent and hearing her she opened her eyes and smiled at Allie. 

And Allie smiled back.

The little girl’s cheeks blossomed with a wide, toothy grin that lit up her face and created a sheen of tears in Ellie’s eyes. Reaching out to her Ellie helped her climb onto the bed next to her, even though the action jostled the bed a bit more than her head appreciated, and hugged her close.

“You’re okay,” Allie said softly once she’d pulled back.

Ellie nodded and replied, “Just like I told you.”

Kneeling back Allie turned and looked over her shoulder at Gibbs and said, “She’s okay.”

A lump in his throat kept him from saying anything, instead he nodded and followed Allie’s path into the room. Standing next to the bed Gibbs gazed down at Ellie and catching her eye they shared a look between them before he leaned down and pressed a kiss to the uninjured side of her forehead. 

_Not again._

Aware they were being observed he took a seat next to her bed and watched as the rest of the team shuffled in just as quietly as he and Allie had. Dr. Bryson and Larsen stayed in the doorway, not wanting to intrude on the team. Abby made her way to the other side of the bed and leaning down she hugged Ellie and Gibbs could hear her say that she was glad she was alright but she obviously couldn’t resist mentioning the fact that Allie was talking again.

And apparently Bishop shared her excitement because she gave Abby a tight squeeze and replied with a voice that indicated she could barely hold back her own joy. “It's great isn't it!”

As the rest of the team expressed their happiness that Bishop was going to be alright Gibbs shifted his focus to Allie who was sitting quietly next to Ellie. The girl seemed to be lost in her own thoughts and pulling on her foot he got her attention and asked her what was wrong.

“Why did he come back?” Allie asked, looking between Ellie and Jethro.

Everyone in the room shared a look at her question. But it was Ellie who asked what she meant.

“That man,” she repeated. “Why did he come back?”

Taking a deep breath Ellie asked, “Allie, was the man today the same man that hurt your aunt and uncle.”

Allie nodded nervously.

Dr. Bryson stepped further into the room at the admission. She and Ducky shared a look and both moved forward but knowing that Ducky was closer to this group than she was she remained content to stay in the background unless she was needed. 

“Are you sure you’re up for this?” Ducky asked Ellie, knowing that she and the rest of the team were itching to question Allie, especially since she just offered them an opening. Ellie nodded immediately and Ducky knew that injured or not she wanted to get to the bottom of this. His next concern was for Allison and looking to the little girl’s therapist he made his way over to her and asked quietly whether or not she thought Allie was ready.

“I’m going to keep an eye on her and if I see any signs of distress that could set back her progress I’ll stop it,” she told him. Ducky relented and stepped back as Dr. Bryson moved next to Gibbs. Leaning down she kept her voice low enough so only he could hear her. “I want you to hold her wrist pay attention to her pulse, if it starts to race signal so we can stop and give her a minute.”

Nodding Gibbs waited until she moved to the other side of the bed, taking Abby’s place, before reaching out for Allie. She was tense but seemed comforted by their presence. 

Although it wasn’t said aloud there was an understanding that Ellie would be the one to question her. “Allie, how do you know it was the same man? Did you see him that night?”

“Yes,” she replied. 

“Where?”

“He was in Mama Robin and Daddy Dan’s room,” Allie told her. She was still pretty calm but fidgeting a little more than she had been.

“And where were you?”

“In my room.”

“Allie, what happened before that?” Bishop asked. Now that they’d established how Allie knew that it was the same man they needed to know what had happened from beginning to end. But seeing the look on Allie’s face Ellie knew she had to be a little more specific and asked Allie what she had done the night before.

“Why don’t you start by telling us what had for dinner,” Dr. Bryson prompted. “And then everything that happened after that.”

“Um, we had chicken for dinner and then Mama Robin and me colored,” Allie informed them her face the picture of pure concentration. “Mama Robin and Daddy Dan had a ‘discussion,’” she added and her face took on a mock serious expression, the parody of an adult.

“Did they yell, were they mad?” Ellie asked.

Allie shook her head and said, “no, but I think they were afraid.”

“Okay,” Ellie said, not dwelling on it but all of them made a mental note about it. “What happened next?”

“I had to brush my teeth and then Daddy Dan read me stories and then I think I went to sleep cause I don’t remember,” Allie said, then paused and added, “not until Mama Robin woke me up.”

“She woke you up?” Ellie asked. She was watching Allie carefully as the little girl was starting to show more signs of anxiety. “What happened when you woke up?”

“I could hear yelling and Mama Robin said that I had to hide and stay real quiet and that I couldn’t come out until she came back for me,” Allie explain. “But she didn’t come back, she just screamed.”

It was at that point that Gibbs signaled to Dr. Bryson who stepped in just as Allie’s breathing became slightly labored. Guiding her through some breathing exercises the doctor calmed Allie down, but it was several minutes before she let them continue.

“What happened next Allie?” Bishop asked.

She breathed in deeply and keeping her eye focused on Ellie she continued. “It got real quiet and I got afraid. I wanted Mama Robin so I got out and I went to find her but she wasn’t waking up and there was blood and daddy Dan was laying on the floor downstairs and he wasn’t getting up. It was dark too,” she babbled out. Tears were starting to gather in her eyes but she seemed determined to continue. “Then I heard him, the man, he was coming back and so I ran to my room and I watched him. He went into Mama Robin’s room. I didn’t want him to see me, cause I was scared of him so I went back to the hiding place. Then he came into my room.”

Again Dr. Bryson stepped in and with Ellie’s and Jethro’s help she managed to calm the child down. While she hadn’t become overly agitated it was clear that her anxiety levels were high and they didn’t want to push her. Call it parental intuition but Gibbs had a feeling that the more she told them about what had happened that night the more she let go of it. It was easing her burden. 

“It’s almost over with Allie, but I still need to know what happened when he was in your room,” Ellie told her.

“I don’t know but he said my name,” she admitted. 

The killer knew or at the very least suspected that Allie had been there that night, but clearly he didn’t know where she’d been hiding. Allie had been lucky to escape. 

“Did you get out of the hiding spot after that?”

Allie shook her head. She’d stayed there, even after it had eventually gone quiet, until Ellie found her the next morning. Judging by how long Allie said the unknown man had stayed they knew then that he had in fact been looking for something. They also knew that their killer had a good idea about Daniel Kedzierski’s schedule because according to Allie it wasn’t long before she heard a new commotion with the arrival of the carpoolers and the police shortly after that. 

Armed with this information Tony and Tim departed quickly to start their search for their killer and eventually they were followed by Abby and Ducky. Somewhere in that time Dr. Bryson and Anne Larsen also departed, leaving Gibbs alone with Ellie and Allie. 

Currently the pair was curled up in Ellie’s small hospital bed, fast asleep, with Gibbs watching over them. Taking Ellie’s hand in his own Gibbs was startled when her hand tightened around his own involuntarily, but realizing that she was still fast asleep he relaxed.

_Not again._

He knew it in his bones and more importantly his gut that it wouldn’t happen again.

* * *

The call came in at a little after one-thirty in the morning. Tony was woken by the shill sound of his phone and looking over at McGee he realized that both men had fallen asleep at their desks while working on the case. Answering the phone he spoke briefly to the cop on the other end before hanging up and making his way over to Tim’s desk.

Currently McGee’s head was resting against the back of his chair and his mouth was hanging wide open allowing a strangled snoring noise to escape. Oh the pranks he could pull right now. If only...

“Wake up McSleeping Beauty,” Tony said, giving McGee’s chair a little kick. 

Startled McGee snapped upright and glanced wildly around the room. Realizing that there was no immediate threat and that Tony was standing above him with an amused smirk plastered on his face Tim quickly gathered his wits and glared at Tony. "What?"

Ignoring the glare Tony said, “Got a call from a state trooper they found our killer’s car and a body that might be our killer.”

“What?” He said again, only this time more awake. The news was surprising since they sent the BOLO out at around seven.

“Come on, let’s go.”

Tony went back to his desk to grab his gear and the two were gone in less than two minutes time. 

It took nearly forty-five minutes to reach the abandoned train yard but when they did Tony immediately spotted and identified the car that had crashed into them earlier in the day. Same black Dodge Charger with clear damage to the front end. Getting out of the car the pair was met by a state trooper who had been directing the officers securing the scene. 

“There’s the car and body is over there,” the trooper said, first pointing at the car, then in the opposite direction before leaving them and heading back to his patrol car.

Sharing a look Tony and Tim ignored the car for the moment and made their way to the body, which lay face down in a bank of dirt. Pulling on a pair of gloves Tony examined the body in the limited light. He didn’t need to even turn him over to know that this was the same guy. The clothing was the same and he had a bullet wound to his left arm, exactly where Tony had shot him earlier in the day. Only now he had an additional bullet wound to the back of his skull.

Lifting the body up, Tony took a look at the man’s face. Yep, it was the same guy. “Somebody killed our killer. Why?”

“Maybe he wasn’t acting alone,” Tim theorized. “It’s possible that by getting shot our killer, or at least one of them, became a threat. Getting treatment might have exposed him, them and that was a risk our other killer couldn’t take.”

“Gotta find evidence to back it up, but I like it Scooby McDoo,” Tony told him. 

Tim rolled his eyes at the nickname. “Should we call the boss? Let him know what’s happened.”

“He’s still at the hospital isn’t he,” Tony said after a moment of thought. McGee nodded and the senior agent shook his head in reply. “It can wait until tomorrow. Besides if we call him tonight we won’t see our beds again for a very long time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a note to say that I'm going to miss Michael Weatherly/Tony DiNozzo, the show won't be the same without him. But I know the show will continue to be great and having seen the preview for Weatherly's new show I'm excited for him and I can say I'll be watching it this fall. 
> 
> Anyway, chapter ten will be posted next Friday, May 27, 1016 @ 6 PM EST.


	10. Rule 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A day late, but here's chapter ten folks. Thank you to ShadowWolfsDen for the reminder, appreciate that! Hope you guys are having a great (Memorial Day) weekend!

Glancing out the window of the moving car, Ellie was reminded for the fifth time why that was a bad idea as she was suddenly hit with severe dizziness followed by nausea. Closing her eyes she rested her head back against the headrest and Allie, who was seated next to her in back, buckled into the middle seat, snuggled up against her. 

Gibbs was in front, driving slowly down the still quiet residential streets.

There was a marked police vehicle driving behind them, escorting them home. Vance’s idea. The director, and Kayla, had stopped by to visit her last night shortly before visiting hours ended and he’d told them about his plan for added protection. They’d receive an escort home the next day and an unmarked vehicle would be placed outside of the house until the case was solved. But he also warned them, if there was another incident he would move them into an actual safe house. Ellie had expected Gibbs to protest, but he didn’t and instead he nodded his head in agreement. 

They stayed right up until visiting hours ended with Kayla fussing over all of them the entire time, a gesture Ellie found very sweet. Urging Gibbs to take Allie to go get her something to eat Ellie watched as they filed out of the room, followed closely by Kayla who had said her goodbyes. 

But Director Vance hung back, telling his daughter he’d be a minute.

He used the quiet moment as an opportunity to thank Ellie. Apparently Kayla finally came out to her dad and just as Ellie had predicted the director had been accepting and loving and had reassured her that nothing could or would ever change that. He’d always help her hide the bodies. 

Following their departure was a restless night for all three, with Gibbs insisting on sleeping in the chair next to her bed until she’d finally convinced him to take the unoccupied bed in the room. Allie drifted from her bed to Gibbs’ and back throughout the night as Gibbs kept moving her from Ellie’s bed in an effort to help Ellie get a good night’s sleep. But by five in the morning they were exhausted and grumpy so Ellie checked herself out of the hospital, despite Gibbs’ protests. 

She was fine, but she would be better at Gibbs’ house, she’d argued and less than an hour later they were on their way home.

A sudden jerking movement from Allie woke Ellie from her light, contemplative doze and looking down she realized that Allie had woken from a nightmare. 

Sighing, Ellie bent down and brushed a gentle kiss on the top of her head, gaining her attention. Allie looked up, confusion and worry written on her face, she also looked like she might cry, but she didn’t. Instead she yawned widely and slumped back against Ellie. 

She was tempted to try and get the little girl to talk but had a feeling she wouldn’t be able to. 

In the hours since the accident Ellie and Jethro had learned that Allie, in general, wasn’t a very big talker. She reminded Ellie of Jethro in that sense. If they had something to say in would be something important and you’d better stop and listen. But Ellie had to admit that she did love to hear her talk and prompted her to do so as much as possible. Allie’s voice was clear and light, almost airy, but she spoke quickly like her mouth was trying to keep up with her mind.

It was just another thing Ellie added to the list that made her adore the little girl. 

Noticing that the car was slowing down Ellie looked up and realized they were already home. 

Jethro got out of the car and dismissed the patrol unit as Ellie unbuckled Allie from her seat. The pair slid out and Ellie noticed Gibbs watching a silver sedan. Inside the man gave a barely perceptible nod at them but made no move to get out of the car or approach them. Sharing a look Gibbs and Bishop both knew that this was the added protection Vance had promised. 

“Come on,” Gibbs said with a small jerk of his head. “Let’s go inside.”

Allie didn’t wait for them, she simply walked ahead and waited patiently at the door until it was unlocked for her and once inside she headed straight for the couch where Gibbs’ bed from the night before was still set up. She didn’t hesitate, merely climbed up on to the couch, shed her shoes, curled up under the blankets and was out like a light. 

“Should we move her upstairs?” Ellie asked quietly.

Jethro shook his head. “No, she’ll be fine.”

“What about you?” She knew he had to be just as tired as her and Allie but he shrugged in response and urged her up the stairs.

She was slightly surprised when Jethro wrapped an arm around her waist to help her up and was going to protest the action, she wasn’t injured that badly, but held back. For two reasons. One, she knew the accident had to have shaken him and she had the feeling that once again he was in ultra-protective mode. And she was willing to let it go because of the second reason; she enjoyed the feeling of his armed wrapped around her. 

Once they reached the top of the stairs Jethro let go of her waist but she was still painfully aware of his hand hovering just over the small of her back. 

Making their way into the bedroom Ellie immediately spotted Patch and Enigma lying on her side of the bed. Smiling, she forgot about Jethro for the moment once they jumped from the bed and began meowing loudly as they brushed up against her. Kneeling down she petted and cuddle with them for as long as they let her, but they were cats and eventually, once they were satisfied that she was alright, they wandered off. Patch left the room completely and Enigma found his way under the bed. 

Standing too quickly Ellie’s vision faded and a wave of dizziness swept over her and reaching out she felt Jethro take her arms and hold her upright. The doctor had warned her about Post- concussion syndrome and she could only hope that it wouldn’t last that long. Blinking away the last of the spots that blurred her vision she looked up into Jethro’s worried face. A worried face that was very close to her own.

“You alright?” he asked, his voice gruff with concern.

“I’m fine,” she replied, even as her heart thundered in her chest. 

She waited for him to let go of her arms but he didn’t, instead his light, steady grip held her close to him and wetting her suddenly too dry lips she felt her breath catch in the back of her throat the moment she noticed his gaze drop to her mouth.

Moving slowly she closed the distance between them and pulling her arms from his grasp she gently cupped his face in her hands. She waited, gave him time to pull away but when he didn’t she lifted herself up onto the balls of her feet, her eyes locked with his, and pressed her lips to his in a soft kiss. At first he didn’t respond, his body remained motionless against hers, but just as soon as she was about to pull away in embarrassment his hands dropped to her hips and pulled her closer. He deepened the kiss as she wrapped both of her arms around his neck, bring her body as close to his as humanly possible.

The shrill sound of a phone ringing washed over them like a bucket of ice, cold water and before she could understand what was happening Jethro was already half-way across the room. His phone continued to ring as they stared, wide-eyed at one another. 

She opened her mouth to speak but he got there first. “Rule twelve.”

Confused she watched him answer the phone. Rule twelve? _What was rule twelve?_ she wondered, and mentally ran through the rules she’d managed to memorize. Doritos were rule number three, ‘Don’t believe what you’re told. Double check.’ Blueberry Pop Tarts, rule number eleven, rule twenty was chocolate covered cherries…

“What!” The single word snapped Ellie out of her daze and locking her gaze with his once again she watched as a myriad of emotions washed over his face before finally settling on frustration. “I’ll be there in an hour,” he said right before hanging up.

“Jethro?” She asked. 

“Our killer is dead,” he told her heading for the door. “Someone put a bullet in the back of his head.” 

Shocked Ellie followed after him, pushing their kiss to the back of her mind and focusing on what he was telling her. Someone had killed their killer? Trailing him outside she called out to him before he got into his car.

“What can I do?”

He paused and looked at her, he started back toward her but stopped and shaking his head he called out, “Get some rest.”

Pursing her lips in annoyance she watched him pull away. Glancing once at the unmarked car she turned around and headed back inside. Checking on Allie, who was still sound asleep, she retrieved her computer and headed back up to bed. 

Technically, she was resting.

* * *

“Sitrep,” Gibbs ordered, striding into the bullpen later that afternoon.

McGee and DiNozzo, who were already standing in front of the plasma turned and greeted their boss and Gibbs immediately noticed Ellie’s face on the screen. He shot her a challenging look, which she returned with one of her own.

“You’re supposed to be resting,” Gibbs accused. 

She narrowed her eyes slightly but before she could argue, Delilah’s face appeared beside her and she said, “Don’t worry I’m making sure she’s not working too hard.”

Shaking his head Gibbs let it go for the moment, but he clearly wasn’t too thrilled that Ellie was going to be a part of this. She needed to rest, doctor’s orders. Focusing back on the case he once again asked what they had.

“Our killer is twenty-seven year old Carl Smith,” Tony announced. “Originally from a trailer park in Miami, Florida he has a rap sheet that could rival Tony Montana’s. Mostly drug smuggling and distribution, cocaine, meth, you name it, but he’s also suspected of murdering at least a dozen people. He’s never been convicted. All in all I think we got lucky.” Pausing he added grimly, “Allie got very lucky. This guy was dangerous.”

“How’d he get here?” Gibbs asked.

“Don’t know what brought him here but he showed up three days before Shaw and Kedzierski were murdered,” Tony informed him. 

“We got proof he killed them?”

McGee nodded and changed the image on the screen to their crime scene, including their killer’s car. “Abby found traces of blood that she was able to identify as belonging to Shaw, Kedzierski, and Collins, under the handle of the driver’s side door,” McGee told him. 

“What about the DNA found under Collins’ nails, can we link that to Smith?”

“No,” Abby’s voice interjected as she entered the bullpen. “Oh hey Delilah!”

“Hi Abby,” she replied with a wave at the screen.

“Abbs,” Gibbs interrupted before the conversation could veer off track. “What'cha got for me?”

“Good news and bad news. Bad news, whoever the DNA belonged to, it wasn’t our killer,” she told him. “But he was with our killer at the time Collins was murdered because I found trace amounts of Collins’ blood mixed with the DNA.”

“Good news?” McGee asked.

“I ran the second set of tire tracks,” Abby said, referring to the second set of tracks found at that morning’s crime scene. “I found out that the tire’s match those that come standard issue with the 2016 Mercedes-Benz coupe,” she finished with a smile. “See, good news.”

And it was good news. It meant that whoever killed their killer was also at the abandoned motel the night Collins was killed. Now they just have to find out who owned their unknown high-end vehicle. 

“Good news doesn’t stop there,” Delilah said, drawing their attention back to the plasma. 

“We ran Smith’s financials,” Ellie told them and then manipulating their screen from her own she brought up a set of bank records. “Three deposits of $250,000 have been made to an account that Miami-Dade police have linked to a money laundering operation Smith is part of.”

“Where’s the money coming from?” Tony asked.

“I managed to trace the money back to an off-shore account in the Turks and Caicos but I ran into a brick wall trying to connect the account with a holder,” Ellie explained. “Then Delilah and I crosschecked the bank with the Panama Papers.”

“Guess which company connected with your murders has off-shore accounts in Turks/Caicos?” Delilah asked.

“AirX,” McGee supplied wryly.

“Right on the money honey,” Delilah replied. 

“I don’t get it,” Tony said after a moment of silence. “Everyone McGee and I spoke to at AirX seemed to like Kedzierski. They all seemed genuinely upset and surprised that he was murdered.”

“Well someone was lying,” Gibbs replied. “We need to find out who and why. Get a warrant, I want them searched from top to bottom. And find out who at that company owns a Mercedes-Benz.”

* * *

Pulling up into the driveway, McGee right behind him, Gibbs turned off the engine and grabbed the bag of Chinese food that was sitting in the passenger’s seat. To avoid being alone with Ellie and confronting what had happened between the two of them that morning Gibbs had invited the younger agent, and Delilah, to stay for dinner. He could tell it had surprised McGee but he really didn’t care and he wasn’t about to offer any explanations.

He just needed some time. 

Climbing the make-shift ramp Ellie had set up for Delilah the pair listened to the sound of laughter coming from inside the house. McGee quirked an eyebrow at his boss as Gibbs unlocked the door. Inside they found that the center of the living room had been cleared and Allie was sitting in Delilah’s lap, laughing and letting out with excited squeals every time Delilah popped a wheelie. 

Glancing over at McGee, Gibbs couldn’t help but notice the tender look on the other man’s face as he watched his girlfriend with Allie. It was a look that Gibbs had never seen on his face before and it surprised him and made him wonder. 

Spotting them Delilah came to a halt and looking at Gibbs she smiled sheepishly and said, “Don’t worry, I’ve been very careful not to break anything.”

“I know you got a handle on that thing,” Gibbs told her, nodding at the wheelchair. “I trust you.”

Allie climbed off of Delilah’s lap and McGee made his way to her side. Both Gibbs and Ellie watched as he murmured something in her ear which brought a soft smile to her face. Resting her hand against his cheek she leaned in and kissed him, and glancing over at Ellie Gibbs caught her watching him. An embarrassed flush made her cheeks turn pink and she quickly scrambled up from her seat on the couch.

“I’m starving,” she blurted out. “What’s in the bag?”

The tension between the pair didn’t go unnoticed by either Tim or Delilah, and even Allie seemed to pick up on it. But neither Tim nor Delilah was willing to bring the subject up with Gibbs and Allie didn’t understand it enough to even be able to name it. So they let it go.

Once dinner was finished and Allie had gone to use the bathroom, Delilah looked at Tim expectantly, a look that didn’t go unnoticed by Gibbs. Tim hesitated a minute then, almost nervously he said, “Boss, I know we’re in the middle of a case right now, but, um, I was wondering if I could have the weekend off, leave early on Friday?”

Gibbs gazed at him critically for a minute before replying. “Yeah, if it’s important.”

“It is,” he replied. Then looking at Delilah he took her hand and explained, “We’re going to drive up to Maryland, visit Delilah’s parents and then stop in to see my mom and sister.”

“Okay,” Gibbs replied, watching them curiously.

“Should we tell them?” Delilah asked Tim, raising an eyebrow and biting her lip in excitement.

“Tell us what?” Ellie asked, leaning forward and uncrossing her legs.

“You want to?” Tim replied, ignoring the other two. 

“If you’ve got something to say…” Gibbs prompted.

“We’re pregnant,” Tim announced, a huge grin spreading over his face. “Well technically Delilah’s pregnant, but we’re going to have a baby.”

Smiling Ellie stood up and immediately went to Delilah and embraced her in a tight hug. “That’s great! Congratulations!”

“Congratulations, Tim,” Gibbs said. “You two are going to make great parents.”

Touched by the sincerity in his voices, Tim replied, “Thank you, Gibbs. That means a lot.”

“What’s going on?” Allie asked from the doorway.

Delilah took the opportunity to explain that she was going to have a baby, which brought on dozens of question from the little girl, including the big one of how babies were made. Stepping in Ellie promised to tell her later. Much later. 

Leaving shortly before nine, Tim and Delilah said their goodbyes and headed out to Tim’s car where he helped her into the passenger’s seat before collapsing her wheelchair and placing it in the backseat. Starting the car Tim reversed out of the driveway and waving once more at Ellie who was standing in the door they started on their way home.

“Oh my god you could cut the tension between them with a knife,” Delilah sighed once they were a block away.

“I know right,” Tim replied. “What was that about?”

“No idea,” she said. “She didn’t say anything to me. Gibbs say anything to you?” Tim looked at her askance and she added, “right, he’s not exactly the chatty type.” She lapsed into a thoughtful silence until she let out with a started ‘Oh!’

Concerned Tim glanced over at her as she grabbed is arm. “What? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she reassured him with a quick shake of her head. “I just remembered something. What’s rule twelve?”

Suddenly Delilah was thankful they were on a deserted side street because Tim brought the car to a sudden halt. Turning and gaping at her he asked, “Why are you asking about rule twelve?”

“Because Ellie asked me if I knew what it was or if you had ever mentioned it,” Delilah replied. Slack jawed he continued to gape at her until she snapped her fingers in front of his face. “Tim, what’s rule twelve.”

“Never date a co-worker.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun note, the chapter title was initially the working title for this fic! Anyway, I also wanted to note that if this chapter seemed a little out of sync with the rest of the fic it's because most of it was written very early on. I think I started writing this after chapter two or three. 
> 
> Chapter eleven will be posted Friday, June 10, 2016 @ 6 PM EST.


	11. To Build A Home

Lobbies of places like AirX are always full of glass and steel and women who wear high heeled shoes that make sharp clicking noises whenever they walked across the highly polished marble floors. In the ten minutes they waited for the CEO of AirX, Ian Wexler, to make time for them Tony counted fourteen women who fit the description. Two didn’t. The first was a pregnant woman and the second was an intern, by Tony’s guess, both were wearing flats, and he was ashamed to admit that they were the only two that Tony would be able to point out in a line up.

It wasn’t that his skills as a federal agent were slipping, or that either of the two women was more noticeable than the others, he was just distracted. 

Very distracted.

Before he and Gibbs left NCIS to pay Mr. Wexler a visit Tim had managed to corner him in the break room before he left and tell Tony what Delilah had told him about what Ellie had asked her about Rule 12. Tony had texted Delilah to make sure that the message in their little game of telephone hadn’t gotten mixed up but she’d assured him that Ellie did ask about Rule 12, but that she hadn’t given any context for the question. Without context all three were left speculating about the inquiry and Tony was left watching Gibbs for any sign that there might be something going on between his fellow agents. 

But Gibbs was as unreadable as ever.

Maybe a little more so than usual, Tony thought to himself. Leaning forward he narrow his gaze and wondered if that increased unreadability was a sign his boss had something to hide. 

Or maybe he was reading too much into it.

He didn’t have any more time to consider the situation as Wexler’s high heeled clicking assistant came to greet them. She gave both of them a distracted glance before indicating they should follow her toward a private elevator that they took up to the CEO’s office.

The doors opened to reveal another spacious, glass filled room with two matching desks on either side of a set of frosted glass doors. Another woman was seated at one of the desks and unlike Wexler’s first assistant, the second greeted them with a wide smile and Tony decided he liked her better. Handed off to the second assistant they entered the office and spotted Wexler standing next to a printer, reading a stack of papers.

The tall, slender, silver-haired man looked up and greeted them with a smirk that made Tony want to punch the guy in the face. 

“NCIS, I have to admit this is an unusual visit for me,” he said, holding out his hand to shake theirs. But he was left hanging, much to Tony’s delight, as Gibbs blatantly ignored the gesture. The CEO clenched his jaw slightly at the action but the moment was brief and the smirk was back on his face as he asked, “what can I do for you gentlemen?”

“You own a Mercedes-Benz?” Gibbs countered and the two agents, watching him carefully, saw the smirk drop from his face and a grim look replace it. 

“I do,” he admitted. Wexler turned back to his desk and dropped the pile of papers onto the wood surface and looking up at them he said something that set both of them off track. “What has she done now?”

“I beg your pardon?” Tony asked, glancing at his boss. But Gibbs was as cool as ever, or at the very least appeared to be undisturbed by the question.

“Aura, what has she done now?” 

“Aura?” The question was delivered in the usual Gibbs manner and made it clear that the older agent was demanding a full explanation.

“My daughter. I’m assuming you’re here to tell me that she’s gotten into some kind of trouble,” he said before adding, “I have to admit though, a military base is a new one for her. What kind of donation do I need to give to make this go away?”

“We’re not here about your daughter,” Gibbs told him. “We’re here about your car, it’s been linked to a murder.”

The senior agent purposefully left out the fact that three-quarters of a million dollars had also been linked to his company.

“A murder,” Wexler repeated, his eyebrows raised to an almost comical height. Tony nodded and told him that they would need to take a look at the vehicle in question but before he could finish the question Wexler was shaking his head. “I’m afraid that’s impossible.”

“Why?” Tony asked.

“Because I don’t know where it is,” he admitted reluctantly. Seeing Gibbs’ expectant look he continued. “It went missing,” he added.

“Did you file a police report?” Gibbs asked.

Wexler shook his head. “No, I assumed that my daughter had taken the car, it wouldn’t have been the first or the last time that she’d done so, and I didn't want to get her into any trouble.”

Tony and Gibbs shared a look. The former raised an eyebrow at his boss and silently asked: _do you believe this guy?_ Gibbs gave an imperceptible shake of his head before turning his attention back to the CEO. 

“Your daughter, I take it she’s had some problems?” Gibbs questioned.

Wexler gave a dramatic sigh and shaking his head he said, “Unfortunately. She suffers from bipolar disorder and she’s had some problems with drugs in the past. Her mother and I have done everything we can for her, but it honestly wouldn’t surprise me if she’s gotten mixed up with something like this.”

Glancing back at the open doors to the office Tony thought about running from the room, warning the two assistants that their boss was about to face the judge, jury and Judge Dredd. But he didn’t. Instead he took a subtle step back, just in case Gibbs decided to deck the guy. Thankfully his boss held his anger in check and instead focused on asking the right questions.

“Do you know where we could find your daughter?”

“No, I don’t, but you could check with her mother, my ex-wife, she might be able to help you,” Wexler told them, reaching for a piece of scrape paper. Handing them a phone number he asked them if they had any more questions and knowing that they should leave before either one of them assaulted this guy Tony told him they would be in contact. “Please, I just want to know that my daughter is alright.”

Tony glanced at Gibbs and saw the man’s jaw tick in anger and answered for him. “Will do, and if you hear from her you’ll give us a call?”

“Of course,” he replied before calling out to one of the assistants. “Lara.” The impassive, unsmiling assistant appeared in the doorway. “Would you please escort these gentlemen back down to the lobby.”

She gave a single nod and without waiting for either of the agents she headed back toward the elevator. Gibbs and Tony followed her and waited until the doors closed before saying anything. 

“Call the mother, we need to find the daughter,” Gibbs ordered, but was interrupted before he could continue. 

“Petra won’t be able to help you,” the assistant said in a bored, toneless voice that was a bit creepy in Tony's opinion. Both agents turned and looked back at her, but her expressionless gaze was focused on her expensive manicure. “She’s too wrapped up in her children from her second marriage to even notice that Aura exists and she hates to be reminded that she does.”

“What kind of name is Aura anyway,” Tony mumbled to himself.

But the assistant heard him and looking up at him she said, “A stupid one.”

“Do you know where we can find her?” Gibbs asked, realizing that Lara could give them the information they needed.

“No,” she replied. “But I know daddy dearest has paid off a drug dealer a couple of times and he might know where she is,” she said pulling out another slip of paper with a name written on it and handed it to Gibbs.

Tony watched as the older man glanced at the name before slipping it into his pocket. Critically assessing the assistant he then asked if she thought that Aura could’ve played any part in their murder just as the doors opened. Lara remained silent as she escorted them through the lobby and out of the front doors.

“Doubt it,” she replied once they were outside. She explained in the same bored voice that “She’s bipolar, she definitely has issues with drugs and she’d have no problem hurting herself but she wouldn’t hurt anyone else.”

“Would her father really throw her under the bus like that?” Gibbs asked at the same time Tony asked how she came to that conclusion.

“He’s an asshole, so yeah.” Lara answered Gibbs’ question first before turning to Tony and saying, “I have a Master’s degree in psychology.”

“But you’re an assistant,” Tony pointed out, earning the first real facial expression from her.

“I know,” she replied, glaring at him disdainfully.

Then waving his hand in her general direction and looking at Gibbs Tony said, “Suddenly this all makes sense.”

* * *

Closing her laptop with a little more force than was necessary, Ellie pushed her work aside and rubbed her eyes. So far she wasn’t getting anywhere with connecting the money Carl Smith received with AirX. They knew that the two were connected, but finding out who authorized the money transfer would be key when the time came. Breathing in a deep, calming breath she decided that it was time for a break, which would definitely include some food.

Looking up she realized that she was alone. Allie wasn’t in either the kitchen or the living room. Getting up Ellie opened the door to the basement but the lights were off and the little girl knew better than to go down there without Jethro. Telling herself that Allie was upstairs, Ellie ignored the increase in her heartbeat as she made her way up to their bedroom. 

Relief coursed through her body once she caught sight of Allie sitting in the middle of the bed, a cat perched on either side of her and the pictures of her aunt and uncle sitting in front of her. She was clutching her unicorn in her arms as she gazed down at the images. 

Stepping into the room Ellie watched as Patch lifted his head. The orange cat’s expression went from protective to loving in a split second, but it was a second that let Ellie know that even they had grown attached to the little girl. Almost as much as Ellie. Once Patch knew who had invaded their sanctuary he stretched back out again, his back pressed against Allie’s leg, and closed his eyes.

But it was the cat’s movement that alerted Allie and the little girl gave her a small smile and waved, watching her as she moved further into the room and sit down next to her on the bed, displacing Enigma.

“Whatcha doing?” Ellie asked.

“Looking,” she replied, focusing her gaze back on the images. “I miss them,” she said with a great heaving breath and Ellie watched as a tear fell onto the little girl’s knee, leaving a dark mark on her blue jeans. “They’re not coming back are they?”

“No,” Ellie replied, her voice barely a whisper as she tried to soften the blow. Allie nodded and continued to look at the pictures until Ellie said her name, getting her attention. “They’re not going to come back, but you know that your aunt and uncle, and your mom and your dad, they’re always going to be with you.” Ellie placed her hand right above Allie’s heart and said, “They’re always going to be right here.” Then moving her hand up to the top of Allie’s blonde head she added, “And right here. Those memories and the love you have for them, they’ll never go away as long as you hold onto them really tight. I promise.”

A fresh set of tears pooled in Allie’s eyes and she reached out and embraced Ellie in a tight hug, reminiscent of the first day. Hugging her back the agent let her cry out the grief that at five years old she didn’t quite understand yet until she pulled back and looked up at Ellie, a question clearly forming in her mind.

“You’re not gonna go away too, are you?” Allie asked, uncertainty pouring from her, eye wide brown eye darting to the bruise and stitches that still marred Ellie’s forehead.

“No,” Ellie replied. Even as she said the word, she knew that she was making a promise she might not be able to keep. But that didn’t stop her. “I’m not going to go away. I’ll always be there for you. I promise.”

* * *

Later that evening, leaving Allie curled up asleep in bed, Ellie made her way to the basement where Jethro had been working on his boat for the past two hours. Standing at the bottom of the stairs she watched for a while as he worked at fitting pieces of the hull together. He moved and worked with a calm ease and Ellie was content to simply sit down on the last step and watch him work. 

She came down because they needed to talk, but she was hard-pressed to disturb him while he was working. He seemed so relaxed and she loved the peaceful, concentrated look on his face. But he was still Gibbs and he knew she was sitting there for a reason and he broke the silence between them sooner than either would’ve liked.

“DiNozzo called,” he murmured, tightening a clamp on the frame to hold in place. “Said he thinks he may have found Aura Wexler.”

“Where?” Ellie asked.

“A hospital about twenty minutes north of D.C.,” he told her, finally turning to look at her. “A Jane Doe was admitted seventy-two hours ago. She’s in pretty bad shape but she matches the description we put out for her.”

“Did he say what he meant by ‘pretty bad shape’?”

“Looks like she’s been beaten up pretty badly,” Gibbs sighed. “She was found on the side of the road, unconscious. She also had drugs in her system.”

“Is she going to be alright?”

Aura was only twenty-one years old, young, and Ellie hated to think that this could be the end of the line for her. But Gibbs gave a brief nod, turning back to his work bench. “She should be fine, but I told DiNozzo to get some police protection on her,” he said. “We’re going to head up there as soon as she’s ready to talk to us.”

“Good,” Ellie replied. 

They lapsed into silence again, the only noise coming from the sound of Jethro’s tools. 

“We need to talk,” Ellie finally said.

Sighing, Gibbs braced himself on the frame of the boat and said, “Ellie…”

“I know you don’t want to, or you’re not ready to talk,” Ellie told him. “But maybe you could just listen.”

Pushing away from the frame he grabbed a towel from the work bench and sitting down he wiped the dust and dirt from his hands before looking up at her, letting her know in his own silent way that he would listen.

“We kissed, and it wasn’t a mistake, not on my part. And I didn’t do it because this,” she added with a halfhearted chuckle, waving at her forehead. “I did it because I wanted to, I think I’ve wanted to for a long time now,” she said plowing through the words. “I want to be with you. I want to try… I want to see where this, whatever this is between us, will go. I just don’t know what you want,” she finished.

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why do you want to be with me?” He clarified. Cocking his head to the side he looked at her like he wanted to believe her but at the same time like he couldn’t understand it. “I’m a hell of a lot older than you. What could you see in a man like me?”

Looking up at him in disbelief she said, “I see someone who’s kind and generous, almost to a fault. I see someone who cares for Allie as much as I do. I see someone who, when they touch me, makes me feel like Jake was actually wrong for cheating on me. I see someone who I feel at home with, who I could- that I want to build a home with. I see someone that I’m already half in love with. That’s what I see.”

Ellie watched him, waited for him to say something, anything at all after she laid everything she’d been feeling out in the open, but instead he remained quiet. His gaze had dropped to the cement floor and Ellie closed her eyes and pursed her lips in frustration. He had kissed her back, she knew that he had to feel something for her and maybe it wasn’t what she felt, and maybe she’d scared him off but if she’d learned anything from her relationship with Jake it was that honesty was the best policy. She just wished that Jethro would let her know one way or the other how he felt, because if he didn’t feel the same way, which she doubted, then she needed to know. She needed to be able to move on.

Gathering up her courage she asked, “What about you? I there any chance...”

Clearing his throat Gibbs twisted the dirty rag in his hand and said, “Rule 12.”

“What is Rule 12?”

“Never date a coworker.”

She remained silent for a long time, trying to decide whether or not he was trying to brush her off politely, but quickly decided that she wasn’t going to let him off the hook that easily.

“One of your rules isn’t going to cut it this time,” she told him. “If you don’t want to be with me, then just say the words. Don’t hide behind ‘Rule 12’” she said, adding air quotes around the words. She waited for him to respond but when he didn’t she shook her head and stood up. “Just so you know, I’m willing to wait.”

With those parting words she left him, silent, in the basement and made her way to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter twelve will be posted next Friday, June 17, 2016 @ 6PM EST.


	12. Pacemakers for Unicorns

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Full chapter title: Unicorns went extinct because pacemakers hadn't been invented yet. :)

“I think my sister was the most excited about the pregnancy,” Tim said, turning the corner. “She’s already decided that ‘Aunt Sarah’ is too serious, so she wants to be called ‘Auntie Sarah,’ even though our mom started reminiscing about calling her great-aunt ‘Auntie’.”

Ellie smiled as she listened to Tim recount the weekend and the reactions of his and Delilah’s family’s to their big news. She was happy that it had gone so well, not that any of them would’ve expected it to go any other way, but having both of their family’s so excited clearly made Tim even happier about the prospect of becoming a father. Jethro was right, he was going to make for a great dad. 

“What about you?” Tim asked glancing over at her. “How was your weekend? I mean, how are you doing.”

Knowing that Delilah would’ve told him about her question about Rule 12 Ellie fought the embarrassed flush that threatened and instead brought her hand up to her head and used her injury as a distraction. “Better, I still get headaches and sometimes I’m a little dizzy but it’s getting better.”

“How’s Gibbs?” Tim followed up.

Thankfully she didn’t have to answer anything more than a distracted ‘Good’ because no sooner had he asked the question when they were driving past Allie’s house and pulling to a stop in front of the neighbor’s home. 

Getting out of the car, Ellie stared at the For Sale sign that had already been put up, courtesy of Daniel Kedzierski’s uncle. The man, still in the French Polynesia, told them that he would have the proceeds from the sale put into a trust fund for Allie that she would be able to access when she turned eighteen. It was a nice gesture, but Ellie still felt he could do more for her. 

Quashing the thought Ellie turned her attention to the house in front of them. It was the same size and similar in style and belonged to a Mr. Abraham Wilson who had recently returned from spending two months in Arizona. Once he’d learned about what had happened to his neighbors he’d immediately contacted the police who directed him to NCIS. The MCRT didn’t think he’d have anything to offer, but wanted to interview him anyway.

“You sure you’re up for this?” Tim asked, glancing at her head.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” she assured him.

Making their way up the long walkway the front door opened to reveal a tall, elderly black man with steel grey hair. He was learning on a tall metal cane and he greeted them with a slight nod, ushering them inside the house which was as neat as a pin. He was a military man. An assumption confirmed by the photos and medals sitting on the bookshelves that flanked the fireplace in the living room.

“Please, take a seat,” he urged them as he sat down in a well-worn recliner. 

They both thanked him and each took a seat on the couch before Tim started asking any questions. “How well did you know your neighbors, Mr. Wilson?” 

“Very well,” he told them. “I knew Dan better than I did Robin, but I did know them very well. I knew them well enough to know that they didn’t deserve this.”

“You can’t think of anyone who’d want to kill them?” It was a general question, but Tim didn’t want to lead Mr. Wilson in one direction or the other, he wanted an unbiased opinion.

The older man shook his head. “No, but you should know that a couple of days before they were killed Dan called me. It wasn’t unusual, he always liked to let me know that everything was alright here and we’d always talk for a while, but something seemed off,” he told them. “I asked him about it, but he told me everything was fine, not to worry about him and to focus my brother. I recently had to help my sister-in-law move him to a nursing home,” he explained. 

He paused and turned to look at a photo of himself with Dan and Allie. “There had been something on his mind for a while, but he just couldn’t bring himself to talk about it. I knew it before I left and maybe if I hadn’t been so distracted…” he trailed off, the regret evident in his voice.

“You were close with Mr. Kedzierski, weren’t you?” Ellie asked.

“Yes,” he confirmed with a small smile. “I definitely considered him a close friend. He could stay at home with Allie most days, when Robin was away, and he and Allie would come overall the time. You see we both had an interest in aviation. I was an Air Force pilot during the Korean War and Dan, well he always wanted to become a pilot but he didn’t have the vision for it. But we talked about it and he kept me up-to-date on all that tech stuff. And Allie, well she reminds me of my granddaughter and they used to play together until my daughter and her husband moved to Canada,” he told her before asking, “How is Allie?”

Ellie fully explained Allie’s condition, letting him know how she’d been found and the steps she’d made since the murders. She concluded by telling him that Allie was doing much better and she would probably be very happy to see him.

“I’d be very happy to see her too,” he replied with a smile and then asked, “Does she have that unicorn Dan gave her?” 

Ellie replied with a smile of her own. “Yes, she does. She carries it with her everywhere.”

Mr. Wilson laughed and shook his head. “That’s no surprise. She was very happy and very proud of that stuffed animal. Had to tell me that Dan had given it a pacemaker just like mine.”

Ellie and Tim shared a look.

“A pacemaker?” Tim asked, keeping his tone light.

Mr. Wilson nodded. “That’s what she told me. Said that Dan told her not to get it wet because the unicorn’s heart would stop working, asked me if I couldn’t get wet either.”

Tim and Ellie laughed along with Mr. Wilson, but it was a forced laugh. They had both developed the same theory and they were both itching to leave to find out if they were right. But they stayed for a little while longer, allowing the man who was clearly the closest to the family to grieve with them. Before they left Ellie extended an open invitation to him to come and visit Allie whenever he wanted and promised to keep him up to date on the case. 

No sooner had the door closed and the pair were again half-way down the walkway did Tim blurt out, “Smith was looking for something, we knew that.”

“And it was with Allie the entire time,” Ellie added, yanking the car door open and sliding inside. 

The pair high-tailed it back to NCIS. Making their way to the bullpen Ellie spotted Tony and Jethro at their desks. She knew that the two had driven up to the hospital where Aura Wexler was recovering to speak with her and find out what she knew. 

“Sitrep!” The word was out of her mouth before she even realized what she was saying.

Behind her she could hear McGee stumble and grab onto the partition nearest her desk and in front of her Tony sat gaping at her like a fish. Reluctantly she turned her head to the side and saw Jethro watching her, an eyebrow cocked in surprise but he still stood up, followed by Tony and proceeded to deliver the situation report. 

“We spoke with Aura at the hospital, she claims that her father said that he’d picked up the medication she uses to treat her bipolar disorder from the pharmacy but that once she’d taken it she realized it wasn’t what it was supposed to be,” Gibbs informed her.

Tony stepped in bringing up an image of Aura Wexler’s drug dealer. “She doesn’t remember much after that but she does recall seeing Opie Monroe and her father talking before Monroe took her out to her father’s Mercedes-Benz.”

“She was kept drugged and wasn’t sure what was real and what wasn’t,” Gibbs added and Ellie could see that he was becoming increasingly angry on the young woman’s behalf. “But what she could remember fits with what we know. She said she remembers Monroe meeting with Carl Smith at the location where he was murdered and hearing a loud bang.”

“She remembers the attack, seems like Monroe wanted her coherent for that,” Tony remarked in disgust. “And being shoved out of a moving vehicle.”

“So we can connect Ian Wexler to Monroe through his daughter, Aura, and Monroe probably murdered Smith, but how do Monroe and Smith connect?” Ellie asked.

Tony had the answer and bringing up an image of Carl Smith along with two prison records from the Miami-Dade police department he explained. “It looks like Monroe and Smith both served time at the same correctional facility and their time served overlaps. They were both arrested on drug charges and crossed paths at least once according to the prison reports.”

“DiNozzo put out a BOLO for Monroe, but unless we can get him to confess to Wexler’s part in this we’ll have to rely on the money trail,” Gibbs said.

“Not necessarily,” Tim said, speaking up for the first time since returning. 

“Where’s Allie?” Ellie asked.

“She’s still down in the lab with Abby and Ducky,” Gibbs replied. “Why?”

Sharing a look Tim replied, “we’re not sure yet.”

Ellie lead the way down to the lab where Allie was propped up on a chair wearing a pair of over-sized lab glasses and lab gloves, her NCIS jacket, and a pair of bright pink sneakers. Sometime during the morning Abby had pulled the little girls’ blonde hair into a pair of pigtails that matched her own. She, Abby, and Ducky were all gathered around the center table where a plastic container sat in the middle and Abby was holding a bottle containing an unknown liquid. 

Sensing their presence the three turned to look at them. Allie jumped off the chair excitedly and ran to Ellie who bent down to pick her up. Once she was in the agent’s arms she pointed back at the table and said, “Abby melted a head! It was so cool! But kinda yucky and smelly.”

“Acetone and polystyrene,” Abby explained holding up the bottle and reaching into the container with a gloved hand and pulling out a handful of the gooey mess. “Perfectly safe,” she added for Gibbs’ benefit.

“If Abigail has it her way, Allison will go into one of the STEM fields,” Ducky said.

“Darn tootin,” she replied with a wide grin at the older doctor. Turning to the four recent arrivals she crossed her arms and asked, “To what do we owe the visit and more importantly is it going to be a quick one, cause we got more science to explore. Not that we’re not happy to see you, because some of us obviously are,” she said, giving a significant glance toward Allie.

“Actually, we came to ask Allie about her unicorn,” Tim said, peeking around Ellie shoulder at the little girl and earning questioning looks from everyone but Ellie.

Allie looked up at him confused and said, “Willie? What about Willie?”

“Where is he?” Ellie asked.

“In my backpack,” Allie replied, pointing toward Abby’s office. “He’s taking a nap for me, so I don’t have too.”

“Do you mind if Tim goes and wakes him up?” Ellie asked and Allie shook her head.

McGee quickly went into the office and spotting the backpack he rifled through the contents, pausing a minute to marvel at all of the food the little girl had stuffed inside and wondered if Bishop was starting to rub off on her. Tucking the question away for later he pulled the stuffed unicorn out of the bag and carried it back into the other room. Squeezing it gently he felt a square, slim, hard object inside and knew that they had found whatever Smith had been looking for. 

Seeing it Allie immediately held out her arms for the object and Tim let her take it from him, watching how careful she was with the toy. Catching Ellie’s eye he gave her a slight nod, letting her know that they were right. Ellie replied with a nod of her own before focusing her attention on Allie.

“We saw Mr. Wilson today,” she told Allie. The little girl’s head snapped up and her face lit up when she heard the name. But memories of visiting the elderly Air Force pilot with her uncle must have reminded her that he was gone because the joy was soon replaced with obvious mixed feelings. “He’d like to visit soon, would that be okay?”

“Yeah, I missed him,” Allie replied, returning her attention back to the unicorn. 

“He told us that Willie has a pacemaker just like him,” Ellie said.

“Yep, daddy Dan gave it to him, that’s why I named him Willie, cause he’s just like Mr. Wilson,” Allie told them.

The confirmation left Ellie a little uncertain as to how to proceed. They needed to get to the stuffed unicorn’s “pacemaker” but she didn’t want to upset Allie by doing anything without her permission. Turning to Jethro she silently asked him what she should do, but even he seemed to be at a loss. Luckily Abby, always young at heart Abby, had a plan.

Rifling through a pile of items near her computers she grabbed a plastic package and made her way over to their side. Holding it up for Allie to see she asked, “The pacemaker your uncle gave Willie, did it look like this?”

“Yeah,” she replied with a firm nod that only children give.

“But was it new like this one, still in the package?” 

This time Allie shook her head and concerned she looked down at the unicorn then back up to the brand new SD card. “No, is that bad?”

“I don’t think he’s in any immediate danger, but to be safe we should probably give him a new one,” Abby told her. “Is that okay.”

Allie looked up at Ellie and Jethro and they both gave her an encouraging nod. “I think it’s okay.”

When Tim moved in to take the stuffed toy from Allie, Tony stepped in and stopped him. “I don’t think so McDreamy, we need a professional. Don’t we?” He directed the question at Allie who seemed to realize what he meant and nodded in agreement. Tony then turned to Ducky and looked at him expectantly.

The doctor stepped up the challenge and moving past McGee, who dramatically bowed out of his way, Ducky, with all of a doctor’s care, took the stuffed unicorn from Allie. “I promise you Allison, Willie is in the best hands available.”

Everyone in the room participated in the show for Allie’s sake. Tony cleared the ‘operating table’ while Abby gathered a scalpel, tweezers, and a needle and thread, and McGee opened the packaging of the SD card. Allie adopted the serious expression she saw on Jethro’s face and he inclined his head in approval. And when Ducky finally cut into the unicorn’s belly Ellie dramatically exclaimed that she couldn’t watch and pressed her face into Jethro’s shoulder. Allie patted her shoulder reassuringly, and Ellie was glad her face was turned away from the little girl because she couldn’t keep the smile off of her face.

Tony had to act out an impressive swoon when Ducky went in with a pair of tweezers to pull out the old SD card to hide the fact that he was laughing. But seeing the small piece of plastic that lead to the deaths of Allie’s aunt and uncle sobered all of them very quickly. Once McGee and Abby had the SD card they let Tony take over and immediately went to work on finding out what was on it. 

Tony and Ducky tried to keep the mood light as they put in the new ‘pacemaker’ and sewed up the unicorn’s stomach, covering it with an extra-large bandage, but they were all curious about what was on the SD card. 

However it would take a while to find out.

Tim and Abby worked through the afternoon and evening until they managed to decrypt the data. Tracking the rest of the team down in Vance’s office they found them seated around the table, Chinese food contains littering the surface. Allie was curled up in the director’s chair, fast asleep while Ellie was working at her computer and Gibbs was speaking with someone on the phone, Tony was left to pick at his food and Vance was working on finishing up a stack of paper work. Busy as they all were they all immediately looked up when the pair entered the room.

While they were all anxious for the results they decided to wait until Gibbs finished his call, luckily they didn’t have to wait long. 

“BOLO got a hit, Metro PD is bringing Monroe in for us,” Gibbs announced lowly, resuming his seat next to Ellie. “What do you have?”

Glancing at Allie, Tim turned his attention to the plasma in the director’s office. “We’ve got two copies of the same code for an air traffic control system that was going to be jointly used by the Air Force and the Navy. One is perfectly coded, but the other shows inconsistencies and backdoors in the code. The SD card also contained emails exchanged between Kedzierski and Wexler. In them Wexler told Kedzierski to submit the modified code to the Air Force and the Navy with the promise that they would fix the problems in the code later.

“But I think that Kedzierski knew that Wexler wasn’t going to make those changes, because Abby and I are pretty sure that the code can’t be fixed,” McGee told them. “The deal between AirX and the Navy alone was pretty lucrative. Wexler couldn’t have afforded to have this go wrong. He must have known that Kedzierski and the Lieutenant Commander were going to go to the Navy and expose the whole deal and that’s why he had them killed,” McGee finished quietly, his gaze fixed on Allie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, this was another chapter that was written very early on and it was one of my favorites to write.
> 
> Chapter thirteen will be published Friday, July 1, 2016 @ approx. 6 PM EST.


	13. Couch Potatoes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fluff warning in effect.

The loss of Patch’s weight on his legs woke Jethro from a sound sleep. Blinking he narrowed his eyes and watched the cat as it moved into the kitchen. Assuming he needed a drink of water Jethro was about to settle back into a much needed sleep when the cat meowed. It wasn’t a loud sound and he probably would’ve ignored it except for the muffled ‘shh’ sound that followed.

Immediately awake, Jethro went into agent mode.

Silently sitting up he listened carefully for a minute as the cat meowed again and though the reply was quiet he could still make out a woman’s voice.

_Ellie._

Getting up from the couch he made his way through the darkness and into the kitchen where Ellie was leaning up against the counter, petting Patch who’d jumped up onto the countertop. The cat spotted him first causing Ellie to turn around. 

“Can’t sleep?” He asked in a half whisper.

She shook her head. “No, I didn’t wake you up, did I?”

This time it was Jethro who shook his head. Making his way over to the cat he ran his hands through the short hairs, feeling the vibrations coming from the cat’s purring. “He usually falls asleep with me and he’s there when I wake up, not used to him getting up in the middle of the night.”

“Jake didn’t like it when they slept in the bed,” she said. “After I started at NCIS, I could sleep in a little later and they would always sleep in with me. I couldn’t imagine sleeping without them now.”

He could see the slight smile on her face in the half-light filtering in through the window from the street. The light and the tone of her voice told him that something was bothering her and not one to beat around the bush he asked her, but her response was slow to come.

“I made a mistake.” Her voice was almost a whisper and he could hear the physical weight of her confession. 

“What are you talking about?”

“Allie,” she supplied, focusing on the cat. “I tried to be professional about this case, I tried to keep my emotions separate, I tried not to become emotionally involved, but I have,” she admitted, her voice becoming thick with unshed tears. “And there’s a huge part of me that wishes we wouldn’t have found out about Wexler, that we would’ve never caught him, because that would mean Allie would have to stay. And I know that’s terrible, she deserves this, she deserves justice, but…I don’t want her to go away. I don’t want to lose her. I love her.”

“Oh, El.” Pulling her into his arms he buried his nose in her hair and let her cry.

It wasn’t just Wexler’s arrest that had brought this on. They had an appointment to meet with Dr. Bryson and Anne Larsen later that day to discuss Allie future now that this case was over. Now that she no longer needed police protection. Now that she no longer needed them. 

“I don’t want to lose her either,” Jethro admitted. Just like Ellie he’d grown attached to Allie too, more so than any agent with his experience should have. And just like Ellie he’d grown to love Allie and the thought of losing her, of letting her go, was something he hadn’t allowed himself to think about. Until now, when the weight of the situation settled over him. “And I don’t want to lose you.”

The admission caused her to pull away from him. Her face was tear stained as she looked up at him, confused. Cupping his face she looked at him, really looked at him, and leaning in she pressed her lips to his. The kiss was brief and sooner than he would’ve liked she was pulling away and looking up at him again.

“You’re not going to lose me,” she told him. “I told you that I want to be with you and if this is what you want too, I’m not going to go anywhere. Is this what you want?”

Cradling her face in his hands, Jethro nodded. “Yes.”

Leaning down he once again brought their lips together, trapping her body between him and the counter behind her. The kiss was a gentle balance of passion and reverence and took everything from them and gave everything back in equal turn. They were matched, two sides of the same coin finally realizing that the other was there. 

Gripping at his hips she tried to draw him as close as she possibly could, both of them savoring the heat the other. She could’ve lost herself in him but they both knew that this was too new for either of them to take that next step. 

Not tonight.

But soon.

* * *

Hours later Jethro woke again, only this time is was from the bright sunlight streaming in through the window. Blinking he looked down at the woman in his arms and smiled. Pressing a soft kiss into her hair he became aware of the increased pressure on his legs. Something that weighed more than an eight pound cat. Looking down he realized that he and Ellie weren’t the only ones occupying the couch.

Allie was curled up at his feet, while Enigma was stretched out across the back and Patch was cleaning his paws just above his head. Seeing Allie open her eyes and grin at him, he nudged her gently with his foot causing her to giggle softly. 

“This couch is not big enough for all of us.” Came the slightly muffled response from Ellie who turned her head and smiled up at Jethro before turning her attention to Allie.

“I think it’s just right,” he said in response. “Don’t you think so Alliecat.”

“Yes!” She replied throwing herself on them, eliciting groans and laughter from all three. “I think we could stay here forever.”

The statement brought pain to both Ellie and Jethro’s eyes and sharing a look they both had the same thought: they might not have forever, but they could make this last as long as possible.

* * *

"I'm not late, am I?" Abby asked as she entered the darkened room. 

Director Vance spared her a brief shake of his head, but kept his attention focused on the stage set behind the mirrored glass. Abby shut the door behind her and joined him watching as AirX CEO Ian Wexler sat at the table in the interrogation room with his lawyer. The pair were talking quietly, Wexler a picture of surety, the lawyer offering advice and support that Wexler clearly wasn't going to heed or need. 

Tony and Tim had gone to arrest Wexler early that morning. Abby was hoping they would've brought him in for 'questioning' and then spring the evidence on him and throw in the one-two punch of the arrest once he'd confessed in a panic. But they wanted to do this by the book, make it clear that he should have a lawyer present because they were going to pursue a long list of charges.

Including treason.

In the hours since the discovery of the SD card Ellie had managed to find one more not so tiny piece of evidence that would seal Wexler's fate. While Tim and Abby worked on the code, Ellie continued to look at the money trail. With a little additional help from Delilah, the blonde had discovered that small, almost insignificant, payments were being received on a regular basis to the offshore bank account they could now link to AirX. These payments, while small when they came in, added up to an exorbitant amount and all traced back to Russia. Ellie also discovered that they had started shortly after the Navy and the Air Force signed the multimillion dollar deal with AirX. 

The backdoors in the code would've allowed the unknown Russian party unprecedented access to their air traffic control systems, including pilot communications with US military ships and air craft monitoring. 

Their baddie was going down and he was going to go down hard. 

KO style.

While Abby was nearly bouncing on her feet with excitement when Tony and Tim entered the interrogation room she couldn't help but comment to the director. "This feels a little weird, I mean I feel like it should be Gibbs in there with them."

"Agent Gibbs is exactly where he should be Miss Sciuto," Vance replied and Abby nodded reluctantly, knowing that he was right, before focusing on the drama about to play out in front of them.

Taking their seats at the table, their backs to the mirrored window behind them, Tony and Tim were all business. Neither were in any mood to joke or play with their suspect, they wanted this done once and for all. 

“It’s a long list of charges you’ve leveled at my client,” the lawyer said, beating everyone else to the punch. “I hope you have a long evidence list to back it up.”

“Oh, I’m so glad you asked,” Tony replied, flipping open the folder he had in front of him. “Should we start with solicitation of murder?”

“Sounds good to me,” Tim answered back. Turning his attention to Ian Wexler he understood Tony’s desire to punch the cocksure bastard in the face. But Tim took satisfaction the fact that his confidence wasn’t going to last very much longer. “Last night we arrested Opie Monroe and offered a deal he couldn’t resist he told us everything. That you contacted him to arrange for the murders of Daniel Kedzierski and his family.”

“Opie Monroe is a drug dealer, who corrupted and probably killed my daughter. You’re really going to take his word as truth?” Wexler said, still so sure of himself.

“It’s funny that you should bring up your daughter, Mr Wexler,” Tony said, his voice taking on a dangerous edge. “She’s not dead, but she came close. Lucky for her, not so much for you since she told us that you also tried to have her killed as well.”

Wexler scoffed and stood up agitatedly. “Can’t you see what they’re trying to do? They’re trying to pin their crimes on me,” he countered. “My daughter conspired with that trailer trash hick-“

“Why would your daughter want to kill three innocent people that she’s never met? Or try to kill a child?” Tony asked and when it looked like Wexler was about to answer the rhetorical question he said, “Don’t bother answering, just sit down and shut up.”

“Woah,” Abby murmured from behind the two way mirror. She couldn’t ever remember seeing Tony like this before and it was impressive but surprising. 

“You have no right-“ Wexler’s lawyer started to say but Tony shot him a look that shut him up immediately.

McGee opened the folder that he’d brought with him and spinning it around he pushed it toward the pair sitting on the other side. “Why would your daughter care if Daniel Kedzierski was in possession of sensitive files pertaining to a multimillion deal? How and when would your daughter have access to your corporate, offshore accounts to arrange for payments totaling more than a million dollars? And how did your daughter come in contact with a Russian buyer and more importantly why would your daughter, again use your corporate offshore accounts to receive money from those same Russian buyers?”

Ian Wexler had grown progressively paler as McGee went on, as had his lawyer and once McGee had finished listing off his questions Wexler turned to the other man and Tony and McGee let them have a moment to speak quietly. 

Turning to face them the lawyer cleared his throat and said, “My client doesn’t have anything further to say, but we would like to know what kind of deal you offered Opie Monroe.”

Knowing that they had him, Tony and Tim shared a look and the both stood silently and headed toward the door. “It was a first-come, first-serve, one of a kind deal,” Tony told him, letting the door slam behind him.

* * *

While Tony and Tim were in interrogation with Ian Wexler, Ellie, Jethro and Allie were at Dr. Bryson’s office waiting to speak with her and Anne Larsen. 

Sitting in the waiting room Ellie and Jethro watched as Allie spoke with a little boy about her age. They were carrying on a conversation about one of the puzzle games available for them to work through while they waited. They were trying to figure out how it worked. Both Ellie and the little boy’s mother took turns offering help but each child told them they could do it themselves. And both Gibbs and the boy’s father encouraged them to let the kids be. 

In the end they were right, the pair figured out the game and were currently competing to see who could match the pieces the fastest. They were tied but the little boy won one more round before Dr. Bryson came for them.

“One more! Please,” Allie and the little boy both begged.

Dr. Bryson smiled and nodded her head and they all watched as Allie worked at a furious pace to match all the pieces in as short amount of time as possible. She won. But the little boy didn’t seem to mind, he just appeared disappointed that his playmate was going away, right up until his father sat down to play with him.

Following Dr. Bryson back to her office, a place Allie had become accustomed to, Ellie let go of the little girl’s hand and watched as she carried Willie the Unicorn over to a pile of stuffed animals. Pulling one out she carried on a one sided conversation with the unicorn and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, pointing out the bandage on the unicorn’s stomach. All of the adults watched, bemused by the apparent ‘friendship’ Allie had orchestrated between the two toys. 

Once the turtle had been properly filled in Dr. Bryson encouraged Allie to rejoin them for a little talk. Climbing up into Jethro’s lap she waited for Dr. Bryson to start asking her questions. It was a routine she’d become accustomed to since first coming to the office. She didn’t always like the questions, sometimes they made her sad or mad, but whenever she left she felt like she’d left behind a piece of that sadness too and that was okay in her mind.

“Allie, you know that the bad man that took your aunt and uncle, and your daddy, away has been caught, right?” Dr. Bryson asked, watching and gauging her reactions.

She nodded, pushing a piece of her blonde hair back behind her ear, and said, “Ellie and Jethro told me.”

“So you understand, you know that he can’t hurt you anymore?” 

Allie didn’t respond right away. Instead she looked to Jethro’s hand and traced the veins there, her face contorted into a mask of concentration. “Yes,” she finally answered. 

Dr. Bryson watched as she looked up and directly at her. The therapist knew that the child had something to add, but that she wasn’t sure how to say it and so with the patience of a child psychologist she waited it out.

“But it won’t make what he did go away,” she said. 

“No, it won’t,” she admitted. She asked her how that made her feel and Allie replied that it made her mad and Dr. Bryson followed that question with a more general, broader question about she felt. But Allie looked at her in confusion and Dr. Bryson clarified her question. “I know you feel mad, and maybe a little bit sad too.” At that Allie nodded her head slightly. “But knowing that he can’t hurt you, does that make you feel safe?”

Allie paused and thought about the question. “I don’t know,” she finally admitted. “Just cause he can’t hurt me doesn’t make me feel safe, but I feel safe too.”

“What does make you feel safe?” Anne Larsen asked.

“Willie,” she responded almost automatically. “And Ellie,” she added looking at the blonde agent. “Ellie makes me feel safe. And Jethro, too.” Contorting her small body she looked up at the man holding her and shared his smile. “Willie and Ellie and Jethro. They mean I’m safe.”

Dr. Bryson and Anne shared a look. Dr. Bryson nodded at Anne and asked Allie if she would like to go play and talk more while Ellie and Jethro talked with Anne. Allie looked to the two and once they’d indicated that it was alright she hopped from Jethro’s lap and taking Dr. Bryson’s hand she lead the way to the games, letting her know that she was going to choose what they would play with.

Once they were far enough away Anne turned her attention to Ellie and Jethro. The pair were clearly trying to brace themselves for the worst. It was a look she’d seen from many a foster parent that had grown attached to their foster child and it was just the look she’d hoped to see from both of them.

Lowering her voice she said, “Now that Daniel Kedzierski’s and Robin Shaw’s killer has been identified and arrested Allie no longer needs police protection and we need to start think about her future.”

Ellie took in a deep, shaky breath at the words but nodded her head in response. “You’re right, she doesn’t need us anymore-”

Anne interrupted her before she could continue. “That’s where you’re wrong, you’re very wrong.” Seeing their confused expressions she fought back a smile. “Allie needs you,” she told them slowly. “She needs both of you. She just said that her feelings of safety are reliant on both of you.”

“And a stuffed unicorn,” Jethro pointed out roughly. He could feel his hopes soaring but he was still worried about where the direction of this conversation might lead.

Anne smiled widely and glanced over at Allie. “Yes, and a stuffed unicorn but I think it’s safe to assume that it’s mostly you and Ellie that make her feel safe. It’s her safety, her happiness, and her future that are most important right now, which is why I would like to recommend that Allie remain with both of you.”

Ellie gasped and felt Jethro grab her hand in his own. “I’m sorry can you repeat that,” she asked in a rush.

“I will need to file a recommendation for Allie very soon, and I would like to recommend to my superiors that Allie remain with you. With both of you,” Anne explained, again, very slowly. “Allie has made incredible strides in her recovery since she’s been with you. She’s clearly flourished. When we place a child,” she said referring to CPS, “we want to ensure that the child is safe and that they will grow, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Allie has done all three. It’s my belief that the best place for her, is to remain with you.”

“Is that allowed,” Jethro asked, his voice painfully hopeful.

“Allie’s situation has been atypical from the very beginning and yes, I might be bending the rules a little bit, but I know it’s in her best interest,” she said. “And as Allie is technically a ward of the District of Columbia and her case landed on my desk, I get to say what’s allowed. To an extent,” she amended with a small smile. “But I have no doubt that my superiors will agree with my assessment. However, there is one thing I need to know before I submit my recommendation.”

“Shoot,” Ellie replied immediately. She was willing to tell her anything, her fifth grade report card if she wanted to know it. Hell she was willing to undergo a polygraph test at this point if it meant Allie could stay with them. “What do you need to know?”

“I need to know if you’re both in this for the long term,” she said. “I’m not looking to place Allie with you short term, not just for the duration of her recovery. Allie lost her mother at two years old, she was shifted to her aunt and uncles home and then she lost them. Now she has you and I don’t want to see that change in a year or two from now. To be honest the only way I’ll make my recommendation is if you two tell me that this will lead to an adoption.”

“Yes.” The reply came from both of them almost immediately and looking at one anther they knew that no matter what happened between them they would always be there for Allie. Both of them. 

“It will,” Ellie promised tearfully, happiness radiating from her. “We’re never going to let her go.”

Unable to contain her less than professional enthusiasm Anne smiled broadly and standing she bent down and hugged them both. “That’s what I wanted to hear, now let’s go tell Allie!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter fourteen will be posted July 8, 2016.


	14. FaceTime

Slipping out of bed, Ellie turned to make sure she hadn’t woken either Jethro or Allie, but both were still sound asleep. Allie took advantage of the added space and stretched out further, while Jethro remained where he was curled up on his side just as if he were still sleeping on the couch. Giving the pair a sleepy half smile Ellie tiptoed over to the table next to the bed and grabbed her phone and making her way down to the foot she bent and picked up her computer. 

Exiting the room she kept an eye out for Patch and Enigma, wondering where the two had disappeared to. One of her questions was answered almost immediately, even before she saw either of the cats, as she heard the quiet, but harsh sound of kitty litter coming from the laundry room. Shaking her head she made a mental note to check the box before heading toward the living room where she spotted her second feline friend, curled up exactly where Jethro’s legs would be. Patch lifted his head and looked at her when she placed her laptop on the coffee table.

Squatting down she gently stroked his soft head and feeling Enigma’s long hair brush up against the backs of her legs she twisted around and smiled at him.

“You guys like it here, don’t you?” she asked them. She knew they wouldn’t give her a direct answer but she didn’t need one. They’d been with her long enough for her to know that they were comfortable in their new environment and that they both cared very deeply about the two new people in their lives.

She saw it in the immense patience Enigma demonstrated under Allie’s ministrations and in the way Patch curled up with Jethro every evening. She saw it in the weight each cat had put on since they’d moved in, something she, admittedly, was going to have to keep an eye on. Mostly she saw it in the way both cats were relaxed in a way she couldn’t ever recall seeing them. Not even after she initially adopted Patch or even after she’d picked Enigma up and off the street as a kitten. 

This was new for them and it made her happier than she could reasonably explain.

She spent some time cuddling with the animals before she admitted to herself that it was starting to boarder on procrastination. Giving each animal one more kiss she sat down on the floor, allowing Enigma to clamber into her lap and she flipped open her MacBook and grabbed her phone.

> **FaceTime?**

Hesitating she didn’t send the message immediately. Instead she tried to convince herself that it was too early to be texting her mother, let alone video chatting with her, but in reality she knew that both of her parents would not only be awake but her father would probably already be out working. 

They were farmers after all.

Ugh, God was she glad she didn’t become a farmer’s wife- Nope, again she was procrastinating.

Nervously she sent the text message and waited. Breathing deeply she tried to reason with herself, mentally reminding herself that she had no reason to be nervous. _This is your mother_ , she thought, _she will love and support you no matter what_. But would she, would both her parents understand? She had to believe that they knew her well enough to understand.

Before she could give the thought any further consideration her phone vibrated.

> **Should I get your dad?**

Biting her lip she thought about tackling both of them at the same time but realized that she needed to talk with her mom first and then she would tell her dad. 

> **No.**

Seconds later her mother was smiling at her and Ellie immediately felt herself relax. 

“Hi, sweetie,” she greeted. “This is a wonderful surprise, but where are you?”

Looking around her she focused back on the screen and replied. “I’m at Jethro’s house.”

She could see the flash of surprise and confusion that crossed her mother’s face, not only because of where she is but also because she used Gibbs first name.

“Why are you there?” her mother asked.

“It’s a long story,” she said. “We had a case…”

Launching into the details she told her mother about the murders of Allie’s aunt, uncle and father, about the car accident and about finding the SD card in Allie’s unicorn and about the eventual arrest of Ian Wexler. She also told her mother about Allie’s slow but steady recovery. 

Normally she didn’t tell her parents the details about her cases and for a good reason, she could see that her mother was slightly overwhelmed by what she did for a living. She was probably also considering kidnapping her own daughter and hauling her back to Oklahoma to keep her safe. 

“Wow, well I’m glad you caught the guy,” Barbara said. “And it sounds as if Allie is going to be okay.”

“She will be,” Ellie replied.

“But if the case is over, why are you still at Agent Gibbs’s house?” Her mother asked.

Taking a deep breath, Ellie looked away and down at Enigma.

“Eleanor?” Barbara prompted.

“Mom, the case is over, but Allie is still with us,” she told her. “She’s going to be staying with us.”

“For how long?”

“Until she’s ready to move out,” Ellie hedged.

“I don’t understand.” While Ellie had a feeling her mother may have some faint clue as to where this conversation was headed, Ellie knew she had to explain herself and try to get her mother to understand.

“Right now, Jethro and I are Allie’s foster parents and we’re currently working with child protective services on adopting her,” Ellie told her, watching her mother’s reactions very carefully.

“Together,” Barbara added.

“Yes, together.”

“And I’m assuming that you and Gibbs, Jethro, you’re also together. As in a couple,” her mother said, trying her best to wrap her head around everything her daughter was throwing at her. Which was a lot for one video chat.

“Yes, we are.”

“Eleanor, help me understand,” her mother asked.

Explaining everything to her mom took a long time but she knew that she had to tell her everything, from how she came to love Allie as much as she did to falling in love with Jethro, and how it is unexpected but wonderful. She didn’t hide anything from her, knowing that the only way she could possibly get her mother to understand was if she opened up to her.

“Honey, are sure about all of this?” The question surprised her and it must have shown because her mother rushed on. “It’s just that this is a huge step and you’ve just divorced Jake. Don’t you think it might be a good idea to take some time for yourself, figure out who you are without him before making a decision like this? Before entering another relationship?”

Ellie couldn’t help the smile that formed on her face or the ache in her chest. She wished her mom were closer because right now all she wanted to do was hug her. 

“I know who I am, mom. I may not be the same person I was before I married Jake, or even before I became an NCIS agent, but I’ve learned who I am along the way,” she said. “I like the person that I’ve become, the person that you and dad and Jake have all contributed to creating. I learned that from you.”

“I’m just worried. You’re becoming an instant family. Your dad and I, we dated for four years before we got married and it was another year before your brother was born. We had time to talk and make plans for the future, for our future children,” she explained. “Have you spoken to Gibbs about how you would like to raise Allie?”

“Yes, mom, we’ve been talking almost nonstop about everything you mentioned and more. Neither of us planned for this, it was the last thing either of us expected, but we’re willing to put in the work to be together, to raise Allie together,” Ellie told her. “Luckily we’re on the same page and we’ve both agreed that we love Allie enough already that even if we don’t work out, that we’ll always be there for her.” 

By the time she was finished she noticed the smile on her mom’s face. Gone were any traces of concern, instead pride shown through her mom’s eyes.

“You said the magic word,” she told her.

“What?”

“’Work’, you said that you’re both willing to work for this and that makes me a little less worried,” she explained. “My mom, your grandma, taught me that all relationship’s require work and I’d always hoped that I’d passed that onto you kids. I’m glad to know that I did.”

“I love you, mom.”

“I love you too,” Barbara replied. “You know your father is not going to handle this very well.”

“You don’t think you could tell him, do you? Pretty please for your only daughter,” Ellie begged, pulling out the puppy dog eyes that had always worked on her mom when she was a kid.

Barbara laughed out loud and shook her head. “I don’t think so. What time does Allie wake up?” She asked.

“Uh, she’ll be up in just under an hour, why?” Ellie asked.

“Well, that gives you just enough time to tell your father before we get to meet the little girl who’ll become our granddaughter.”

* * *

After telling Ellie’s parents and introducing them to Allie via video chat, it was time to tell the rest of their family. Gibbs started by calling Dwayne Pride, one of his oldest and closest friends, and letting him know that he was going to be adopting a little girl. The news had come as a bit of a surprise as had the news that Gibbs was going to be adopting her with Ellie.

Yes the same Ellie Bishop and yes they were together. 

But while the news might have come as a surprise in the end Pride was happy for all three of them and told him to bring them down to New Orleans when he got the chance. 

Next came the rest of their family.

They decided it might just be easier to tell them all at once instead of one at a time so Ellie sent out a group text inviting them all over to the house later that evening and by five the house was full. Tony, Abby and Ducky had driven over from work while Tim retrieved Delilah and Vance picked up his kids from home. Fornell and Emily were also told to come and the invite was extended to Jimmy, Breena, and Victoria.

Enough Chinese food had been ordered to feed an army and once everyone had made their way through the line in the kitchen they’d all taken seats on various surfaces in the living and dining rooms. But while they picked at their food for the time being all of them were far too curious about why they’d been invited to Casa Gibbs for dinner. Some, like Jimmy and Delilah were a little too hesitant to ask, but others weren’t afraid to address the matter head on.

“I assume you have something to announce, otherwise we wouldn’t be gathered together like this, so what is it?” Fornell’s approach was direct and to the point earning him a gentle smack from his daughter. “What? We all want to know, don’t we?”

Murmurs of agreement made their way through the room from everyone and Jethro glanced at Ellie silently asking her if she wanted to make the announcement or not. However before they could make up their minds Allie chose to do it herself. 

“I’m staying!” She announced loudly from Delilah’s lap.

The group looked to Ellie and Jethro and waited for an explanation.

“DC child protective services have made Jethro and I, Allie’s foster parents. We are her legal guardians and well,” she paused and looked to Jethro.

Taking her hand in his he added, “And we’ve filled out the initial paperwork to adopt Allie.”

“We have a new probie!” Tony’s excitement was shared by everyone in the room.

Abby squealed loudly in excitement, hoping up from her seat to rush over to Allie to give the little girl a hug. But she had to wait in line because Delilah was currently holding Allie tightly and both Kayla and Emily were already waiting. 

Just like Ellie’s parents and Pride, everyone was happy for all three of them, but especially for Allie because they all knew what the little girl had gone through. Seeing her happy was important to them. 

But all of the attention focused on her made her become shy and soon enough she was curled up in Ellie’s lap with the agents arms wrapped around her. Jethro watched them for a moment before getting up to grab another beer. Heading into the kitchen he was well aware of Leon Vance following closely behind him.

Opening the fridge he pulled out two beers and handed the director one and kept one for himself. Twisting it open he took a long swig before nodding his head toward the basement door. Vance nodded and the two made their way down the stairs. 

Leaning against the work bench Gibbs took another swig of his beer and looked at the director expectantly. “You got something you need to say?”

“I do,” Vance replied, drinking from his own bottle. Circling around the boat he came to stand in front of Gibbs. “Two people, generally they don’t adopt a child together unless there’s something going on between them.”

“True.”

“You and agent Bishop, Ellie, you’re… an item, aren’t you,” Vance said, struggling to find the words. An unusual event for an eloquent man.

“Yeah,” Gibbs replied.

“Is this something I should be concerned about?” He asked.

“Nope.”

“Gibbs, you gotta give me something more than a one word reply here,” Vance reprimanded him. “Keeping the two of you on the same team is against regulations and as your superior I should be thinking about putting Ellie onto a different team if this is going to continue. And I shouldn’t have to tell you this,” he finished in a grumble, taking a long drink.

“You won’t have to do that,” Gibbs told him. “We worked together as a team before getting together, we’ll remember how to do it now.”

“And if you don’t?” Vance challenged. While he was happy for the two he also had to think about their positions and the job, he had to think about them as agents who risked their lives, and he had to think about the little girl that they were going to adopt. If something happened to both of them she’d be alone. Again. And that wasn’t something he could carry in good conscious. “What happens then?”

“Then, and only then, you split us up,” Gibbs told him. He understood what the director was saying, but he didn’t want another shake up in his team, even if it made him a selfish SOB.

“And I trust that either you or Agent Bishop would know when that time would come,” he said before adding, “if at all.”

“We would,” Gibbs replied.

“Good,” Vance said, putting an end to the matter. Shifting gears on the conversation Vance looked at Gibbs and smirked slightly. “Bishop’s parents, they know what’s going on between you two?”

“They do,” Gibbs sighed, unwilling to look Vance in the eye at that point.

“And,” Vance prompted, shamelessly looking to Gibbs to provide him with a little bit of amusement.

“Let’s just say that if anything ever happens to me and it’s under suspicious circumstances, look no further than Arthur Bishop,” Gibbs told him.

The two men shared a look and both chuckled lightly. You’re never too old to receive the shovel talk from a caring family member. 

Shaking his head Vance decided to let Gibbs off the hook and instead focused his attention on the boat in the basement. Circling it one more time the look on his face reminded Gibbs of the look on Allie’s face when she first saw the boat. 

“Still like to know how you get these things out of here,” Vance commented looking from the boat and scanning the walls and ceiling of the basement.

“You’ll find out when I sell this place,” Gibbs replied, draining the rest of his beer.

“You thinking about selling boss?”

The question came from McGee who was standing at the top of the stairs with Ellie and Tony. Catching Ellie’s eye he saw the surprised and concerned look there.

“Why,” Tony asked, following the other down the stairs. 

To say that they were surprised would’ve been an understatement. They couldn’t imagine Gibbs living anywhere else. This house was a part of him and what they thought of when they thought of him. So why would he want to sell it?

“It’s time,” he said wrapping an arm around Ellie’s shoulder when she came to stand next to him. “It’s time to let the past go, look to the future.”

“I’m just gonna stop you right there boss,” Tony said holding up his hands in surrender. “No offense, but listening to you get all poetic is not something I really want to hear.”

Gibbs glared a moment at Tony but Ellie drew his attention away and looking down at the question in her eyes he responded by pressing a kiss to her forehead and murmuring, “I’m sure.”

She didn’t appear to be entirely satisfied by the answer but nodded anyway, willing to let the matter go for the moment. Realizing that he’d just kissed her in front of his two most senior agents and the director he glanced toward them, but none of them seem nonplussed by the action and he knew that they’d all probably figured it out before either himself or Ellie.

“If you’re certain, let me know before you contact a realtor,” Vance said, once again looking around the room. “I’m sure the agency wouldn’t mind turning this into a real safe house.”

Gibbs nodded his head in response, glad to know that at the very least this old place might stay within the family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Side note: I love this website but sometimes trying to format in it drives me insane!
> 
> Chapter fifteen will be posted July 15, 2016.


	15. Tiny House, Big Living

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I woke up this morning and realized I'd completely forgotten to post this last night. Sorry about that! A quick note to anyone who might know anything about the DC housing market I beg for your suspension of disbelief. Thank you.

Okay, she was ready to admit it, she should’ve been a little more careful and much more organized when it came to separating her boxes from the boxes of Allie’s belongings. Instead she’d shoved them all into one room assuming that she’d remember the order that they’d been brought in. First her things, then Allie’s and then the mementos they’d boxed up that had belonged to Allie’s family. But that wasn’t the case. The boxes all seemed to have gotten all mixed up.

At the very least, as an investigative agent, she should’ve known better than to put away any important paperwork. Unfortunately she didn’t and now she was at a complete loss.

Officially frustrated Ellie sat back and looked at the mess around her.

Groaning she decided that if and when she ever found her birth certificate it would have a twin because there was no way she was going to waste another minute searching for it. It would be much easier to just file for a new one. 

Starting the process of repacking everything she wondered if being unable to provide a copy would set the adoption process back. She couldn’t see anyway that it would but it still worried her a little. 

Brushing her worry aside she focused on the task at hand. As she packed up the boxes she set some items aside, including a few games and toys, a handful of cooking utensils that Jethro didn’t own, and finally a photo album. 

Dusty and slightly sweaty she finished retaping and, more importantly, labeling the last of the boxes and turned her attention to putting the things she’d set aside away.

Moving through the quiet house, her arms full of odds and ends, she dropped a few of the toys into the bedroom before making her way downstairs. Jethro had taken Allie to an appointment with Dr. Bryson and would be gone for the next couple of hours, which would give her enough time to tidy up. She knew her efforts wouldn’t last long once Allie returned but for the time being the meticulous nature she’d inherited from her father would be satisfied.

Angling a game up onto one of the bookshelves she could feel the photo album and the hand grater near her waist begging to slip and soon the rest of the items in her arms fell to the floor in a cacophony of noise. 

Groaning in irritation she looked down at the mess.

At least she knew what happened to her birth certificate.

Squatting down she pulled out the paper sticking out of the edge of the photo album and turning the book over she realized that it had fallen open to her wedding photos. Her mouth settled into a grim line as her eyes traced all of the smiling faces. Her parents and brothers. Jake’s family. Jake. And finally her own. 

Picking up the dropped items she put everything else away but left the photo album on the dining room table and sitting down in front of it she methodically began pulling out all of the pictures of her and Jake. She’d planned to show the album to Allie because it had pictures of her parents, her brothers and their families, her grandparents, and her aunts and uncles and cousins. She wanted the little girl to know that she was about to become part of a very large extended family. 

But she didn’t want to explain Jake to Allie quite yet.

Stacking the pictures in a small, neat pile she closed the photo album and wondered what to do with them. Her first instinct was to burn them, but that seemed a little extreme especially since most of her anger at Jake had dissipated since his admission. But did she want to keep them? That was the real question and it wasn’t easy to answer.

Maybe she should ask Jake if he wanted them.

No sooner had the thought crossed her mind when the doorbell rang. Looking up and bending to the side she could just make out who was on the other side of the door.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear as her great gram used to say.

Mind made up Ellie hid the photo album and the small stack of photos before making her way to the door. Opening the door she gazed at him expectantly.

“What are you doing here Jake?” She didn’t expect the question to come out the way that it did, so tired sounding but she is tired of their divorce. She doesn’t expect them to become friends anytime soon or anytime in the future and seeing him again outside of the mediator’s office was the last thing she wanted.

“They said you were on maternity leave,” he replied.

“I am.” Both she and Jethro had been put on maternity/paternity leave two weeks ago by the director who insisted that they deserved the same treatment as any other new parent at the service. While Jethro was a little uncomfortable with the leave of absence, mostly because it hadn’t existed for men when he became a father the first time around, she had been very grateful for it. 

Noticing Jake glance down at her waistline she rolled her eyes and shook her head. “No, I’m not pregnant.”

“Oh, but-“ he shook his head swiftly in confusion. “I don’t understand, why would they say you’re on maternity leave if you’re not having a baby?”

“Adoption. You can still take maternity leave if you’re adopting a child,” she told him, watching as the news slowly sunk in. “You still haven’t told me what you’re doing here.”

Jake stared at her for a long moment before breaking his gaze and looking to the side. “I thought you were pregnant. I thought-“

She interrupted him before he could continue. “You thought I was pregnant and keeping it from you.”

No reply.

“Jake I would never lie or keep something like that from you, that would’ve been something you would do. Remember.” The jab was low but she was beyond caring. “I also wouldn’t withhold or use a child to punish you.”

She didn’t need to remind him that that was exactly what he’d done to her. 

Neither said anything for a long time until Ellie was about to tell him to leave, only Jake spoke first. 

“You’re just moving on aren’t you.” The bitterness in his voice surprised her and it showed on her face. “You’re adopting a child and what, moving on with Gibbs. Happy little family, baby, marriage, and all.”

“Yeah, pretty much.” She didn’t bother mentioning that she and Jethro had talked and they’d both agreed that marriage just wasn’t in the cards for either of them. They didn’t need a piece of paper or wedding rings to say they were committed to one another. “And you need to do the same thing. Jake, we’re over. The papers have been signed. You need to let go.”

“We could’ve made it work,” he claimed.

Ellie shook her head and sighed. “No, we couldn’t have. Goodbye Jake.”

* * *

“Where are we going?” Allie asked for the tenth time.

“It’s a surprise,” Jethro replied once again.

Despite the fact that he’d made it very clear to both of them that their destination was a surprise Ellie’s curiosity was growing as they continued to drive out of DC and she too was on the verge of asking ‘Are we there yet?’ every two minutes. They had driven through the city and were making their way toward the edge of the suburbs and the homes were becoming larger and older the further out they drove.

They were only about a half-hour from the Navy Yard and work but it could’ve been a million miles away and she couldn’t deny that she had an idea where he was taking them. They drove for another ten minutes before Jethro pulled to a stop and parked the car behind a dark sedan.

Turning and looking at them he said, “We’re here.”

Looking out of the window Ellie unbuckled her seat belt and opened the door, and stared up at the house Jethro had parked in front of. It was a two story colonial style house, built out of stone with a wraparound sunroom. From where she was standing Ellie could see two tall chimney stacks peeking out from the roof and an old barn in the back. The front of the house featured a wide and welcoming front porch that was flanked by tall, healthy oak trees. 

“Well what do ya think? Ya like it?” Jethro asked, coming to stand next to her with Allie in his arms. He looked to both of them for an answer, but only Allie replied.

“Yeah, it’s neat,” she told him a curious look on her face. “But why are we here?”

Before he could answer her a young man exited the black sedan and made his way up toward them. He was only slightly taller than Ellie, thin and wearing a slightly ill-fitting suit and a pair of glasses that he had to keep pushing back up his dark nose. He definitely gave the distinct impression that he was new to his profession. 

“Mr. Jethro, Mr. Gibbs sir, it’s nice to see you again,” the young man said holding out his hand.

Gibbs shook his hand and introduced him to Ellie and Allie. “El, this is Fakih Hajjar, he’s a real estate agent, he’s gonna show us the house.”

Glancing at Jethro she held he hand out and shook the young man’s hand. While she’d had her suspicions she was still more than a little surprised, she’d had no idea that Jethro had already started to search for a house let alone met with a real estate agent. And to be honest it worried her a little bit. But she held her tongue and followed Jethro, Allie and Fakih up the driveway listening to the realtor as he began to tell them all about the location and the school districts.

Unlocking the box that held the key to the front door he turned and smiled. “Trust me, you guys are going to love this house!”

And love it she did, if she were completely honest. 

Fakih lead them through the empty house pointing out the light filled rooms and the hardwood floors, informing them about the updated kitchen but making special note, even though he really didn’t have to, of the massive stone fireplace in the kitchen that was original to the house. He let them wander through the brightly lit sunroom that wrapped around half of the house and peek out at the backyard promising that they could walk about the almost two acres of land that surrounded the house. 

Guiding them up the stairs he showed them each of the four bedrooms again focusing on the light the house let in and made note of the architectural detail, demonstrating that he’d obviously done his homework. Finally he led them up to the finished attic that stretched the length of the house and had two windows, one at each end. 

“This would make the perfect playroom for your daughter,” he said. 

All three were about to correct him but didn’t. He was right, Allie was all but legally their daughter and that was something they would all have to get used to very quickly. 

Following Fakih back out of the house they made their way toward the small barn right behind the house. Here Jethro handed Allie off to Ellie and really focused on what he was seeing. She knew he’d loved the house, but it was clear that he really loved the barn and Ellie couldn’t help but share a smile with Allie as they watched him.

“You could build your boats here and not in the basement,” the little girl commented, looking directly over Ellie’s shoulder at the wide doors that would be an obvious way to get the boat out once it was built.

“Yeah this would be a great work shop to build boats,” the realtor added, trying his best to sell the property. Then he seemed to realize what Allie had said because he turned to Ellie and said, “Wait, how do you build a boat in a basement? Is it a walkout?”

Ellie shook her head and let him try and figure it out by himself, like the rest of them. She could hear him muttering to himself about getting a boat out of a basement as she made her way out of the barn and back out into the sunlight. Jethro and Fakih followed moments later.

Sensing that the pair needed to talk the realtor turned his attention to Allie and asked her if she wanted to see the tree house, pointing to a nearby tree that did indeed have a miniature house in it. Once Allie gave an enthusiastic nod he led the way while Ellie took a seat on the stairs leading up to the kitchen door and watched them. 

“Well? What’d ya think?” Jethro asked again.

“It’s big, it’s beautiful,” she replied.

“You like it?”

“I love it.”

“But?” 

“But are you sure this is what you want to do?” She asked, watching him carefully. “Jethro have you really thought about this? What it means?”

Nodding his head he took a seat next to her on the step. Reaching out he took her hand in his own and laced their fingers together. Ellie tightened her grip on his hand and waited for him to say something, anything that could give her the reassurance that she needed. She wanted to know that this move wasn’t something that was eventually going to come between them.

“You said you wanted to build a home with me, with Allie, and I think we could do that here,” he told her.

“I didn’t mean a place when I said that Jethro. Home is wherever you and Allie are,” she said. “We could build a home together at your house. We don’t have to move to do that.”

Jethro sighed lightly and turning toward her he said, “My house. Not yours, not Allie’s, not ours, but mine.”

“That’s not what I meant,” she replied with an embarrassed grimace. And it really wasn’t.

“I know,” he reassured her. “But I meant what I said, I want- no I need to move on from the past. I’ve held on to it for too long thinking that if I did that somehow, in some way it might change. But it won’t.” He paused and looked down at their hands, rubbing his calloused thumb over the top of her hand he tried to find the right words to explain to her why he needed to do this. Sensing she was about to interrupt him and let him off the hook he continued. “Diane, Rebecca, Stephanie, what happened with them, it was on me. I failed them cause I couldn’t move on. But I don’t want to do to you what I did to them. And I don’t want Allie to think that she’s a replacement.”

“You would never let Allie think that,” Ellie tried to tell him.

“Not intentionally, but I don’t want her to have any doubts. You either,” Gibbs said before pressing his lips to hers in a brief kiss. “When I got shot I knew I had to make some changes in my life, but it was falling in love with you that made me realize that I had a future ahead of me and that future can’t happen if I keep holding onto the past. I want that future El.”

“I want it too,” she told him. 

Threading her fingers through his hair Ellie leaned forward and met his lips in another kiss. Pulling away they shared a smile and Jethro dropped another kiss on her forehead before turning his attention to the realtor.

“Think we should tell him we want the house?” Jethro asked, nodding in the young man’s direction.

Pursing her lips Ellie replied, “Maybe we should ask Allie first.”

Nodding his head in agreement, Jethro stood and offered his hand to Ellie. Pulling her up he wrapped his arm around her waist and the pair made their way across the green grass to the treehouse, where Allie was sticking her head out of the window and talking to Fakih. 

“Hi!” Allie called out from her perch once she spotted them coming her way. Waving at them she then disappeared from sight briefly only to reappear as she descended the short ladder. 

Letting go of Ellie, Jethro knelt down to Allie height. Brushing a stray piece of blonde hair back behind her ear he asked, once again what she thought of the house.

“I like it!” She replied enthusiastically.

“Would you like to live here?” 

“I guess,” she said, looking past him at Ellie before returning her attention back to him with a mildly confused look on her face. “But where would you live? And where would Ellie live?”

Jethro and the other two adults chuckled at the question and he was reminded that kids took questions like his a little too literally. “Ellie and I would live here too, with you.”

“Oh, okay. As long as we all live in the same house, I don’t care where we live,” she informed them. Then pointing excitedly to the treehouse she said, “Could we live up there?”

“That might a little small for all three of you,” the realtor interjected with a smile before focusing on Jethro and Ellie. “So would you like to make an offer?”

Ellie nodded. “Yeah, yeah I think we will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost done. The epilogue will be posted next Friday (already set a reminder for myself!), July 22, 2016.


	16. Cue Six Months Later Title Card

Carrying a plate of mini pizzas, Ellie wove her way through the crowd of laughing and screaming kindergartners gathered in the sun room. Catching Allie’s eye she waved at her daughter and smiled when she held up the candy necklace George was showing a small group of girls, including his own daughter, how to make.

“Mommy, look!” Allie called out right before taking a bite from one of the gummy rings.

Laughing around one of the mini pizza’s she’d stuffed into her mouth Ellie gave her a thumbs up. 

Allie had started calling her and Jethro ‘mommy’ and ‘daddy’ shortly after she’d started school. At the meet and greet just before school started she’d quickly grown tired of explaining who they were to everyone she met and settled on letting the other children and parents assume. Once school started she’d found it easier to refer to them as her parents, skipping over the words ‘foster’ and ‘adoptive,’ in class and eventually it had carried over into their home life, especially once Allie’s best-friend-forever-in-the-whole-wide-world started coming over to play. 

They’d told her that she could call them Ellie and Jethro but the now six year old had simply shrugged her shoulders and told them, in so many words, that technically that’s what they were becoming, her mom and her dad. So that’s what she should call them. And when they tried to tell her that it didn’t mean she didn’t love her birth mother and father, or her aunt and uncle any less she simply replied, ‘I know,’ before wandering away. After that they’d let the matter go.

Allie adjusted very quickly to the change but it was still very new for Jethro and Ellie, but they both loved hearing the words.

Hearing her mother’s voice, Ellie pulled her thoughts and her gaze away from Allie, watching as her mother struggled her way through the crowd of children and adults. Barbara stopped halfway towards her to pull one of Ellie’s younger nephews away from the gifts, picking him up before handing him off again to Emily who shrugged at Kayla. 

Smiling Barbara looped her arm through Ellie’s. “You know a US Senator?”

“He’s Allie’s best friend’s father,” Ellie explained while her mind flashed to one of the gifts piled on the table and wondered, if her mother was impressed by a senator, how will she react to Allie opening a present sent by the First Lady and daughters.

“Well your father is quite impressed,” she said, nodding to where Arthur, Jethro and the Senator were having a conversation. “I think it’s scored Jethro some points in his book.”

Ellie crossed her fingers. Her dad had been thrilled with Allie, but he was still cool toward Jethro and his relationship with his only daughter. Jethro told her that he understood and was okay with it, but Ellie continued to hope that one day they might get along.

“Oh, no. What happened?” 

Catching her mother’s question and a small plaintive wail, Ellie turned around and saw Tony carrying a crying, red-faced Tali on his hip. There was helpless expression on the new father’s face as he continued to lightly bounce the child in hopes of getting her to quiet down.

“I don’t know,” he replied, looking to the older woman for help. 

“Here, give her to me. You need a break,” she said, holding out her hands and taking the crying toddler into her practiced arms. 

Tony and Ellie watched her mother carry the child out of the room and up the stairs. Once she was out of sight Tony turned to Ellie and said, “I need a Tylenol.”

“Kitchen. Shelf next to the sink,” she told him. “Hey, Tony,” she called out before he left the room. “Have you heard from Tim? I thought he and Delilah would be here by now?”

“No,” he replied. “I’ll text him.”

“Thanks!” She called out.

“We’ve got to do something smaller next year.”

“Oh!” Startled Ellie spun around and saw Jethro standing behind her, giving her a half-hearted lopsided grin. “Don’t do that!”

She punched him lightly on the shoulder before wrapping her arms around his shoulder and bringing him down for a quick kiss. A chorus of ‘ewws’ coming from the surrounding children prompted them to break apart laughing. 

“You read my mind,” she added after another quick peck on his lips. “There’s no way we’re doing this again.”

Too many kids. Too many adults. Too much food… no scratch that, they didn’t have enough food in Ellie’s opinion. Everyone was eating it and she was starving. Yes, there were far too many people but they were both happy to celebrate not only Allie’s birthday but also her adoption with their friends and family, including Allie’s aunt Rachel, who was delighted that her niece had found a home. 

“Time to go!” Tony’s voice suddenly boomed over the din of their guests and staring at him in surprise they watched as he made his way towards them and waited for an explanation.

They couldn’t just leave.

“What? Why?” Jethro and Ellie asked, their questions falling over one another, as Tony started ushering them toward the door.

“Tim just called, he and Delilah are at the hospital,” Tony told them with a wide grin. “They’ve had the baby!”

The announcement prompted Ellie and Jethro into action. Jethro scooped a confused Allie up into his arms with a half-hearted apology to her friends and the other adults and grabbing Abby by the arm he guided her to the door. Ellie went in search of her dad and told him that they had to leave, dragging Ducky and Vance along with her. Tony yelled across the room to Jimmy, effectively announcing to the whole party that Tim had become a father.

Cramming themselves into two cars the NCIS team made it to the hospital where they were greeted by an obviously tired, but thrilled Tim McGee. Jethro strode down the hallway and embraced the younger man in a fatherly hug, one that Tim returned with equal force. Tony was next, whispering a private congratulation into the younger man’s ear.

“How’s Delilah?” Ellie asked, stepping in and giving Tim her own side hug as Allie gave Tim a quick kiss on the cheek.

“She’s good, she’s really good,” he told them. “They had an operating room ready for her and the C-section went perfectly.”

“And the baby?” Gibbs questioned.

A teary smile appeared on McGee’s face and swallowing hard he choked out, “He’s perfect.”

“He? It’s a boy?” Ducky said.

Tim nodded enthusiastically. “It’s a boy. John Leroy McGee.” Tim looked to Gibbs when he mentioned the newborn’s middle name and the older man nodded in the usual Gibbs manner, silently letting him know that the gesture was deeply felt. “We’re going to call him Lee. Don’t say it Tony.”

“But-“

Gibbs smacked Tony up alongside the head and the former agent quickly shut his mouth, but he shared a friendly, teasing smile with Tim, who shook his head. Even with a daughter, Tony was still Tony. 

“Do you want to see him?” He asked.

Leading the small group back to Delilah’s room they entered quietly. The new mother was cradling the baby in her arms and gave all of them a happy but tired smile, urging them to come in further. 

“I hope you don’t mind sharing your birthday, Allie?” Delilah asked, looking at the little girl as she made her way carefully up to the side of the bed. 

She shook her head rapidly and stared in awe at the baby that was no bigger than one of her dolls. Looking up at Delilah she asked if she could touch the baby and once the brunette had given her permission Allie slowly reached out and brushed her fingers across his cheek. Her eyes widened when he yawned.

Smiling at the baby she leaned forward slightly and whispered, “Welcome to the team probie.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap. 
> 
> I just wanted to write a very heartfelt thank you to everyone who read, commented, bookmarked, subscribed, and left kudos on this story. It was all very much appreciated and I hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it. Again, thank you!


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